Hamilton County's jobless rate drops to lowest level in years

March 26, 2015 at 5:05 p.m. | Updated March 26, 2015 at 5:06 p.m.

by Dave Flessner

In this Jan. 23, 2015 photo, Mark Childers grabs a turkey reuben sandwich to deliver to a customer at the Superior Restaurant Friday, in Cleveland. The Labor Department reports on state unemployment rates for January on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
In this Jan. 23, 2015 photo, Mark Childers grabs a turkey reuben sandwich to deliver to a customer at the Superior Restaurant Friday, in Cleveland. The Labor Department reports on state unemployment rates for January on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Unemployment in Hamilton County fell last month to one of the lowest levels in the past seven years.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said the jobless rate during February fell by seven-tenths of a percentage point to 5.9 percent in Hamilton County. With the exception of December 2014 when unemployment dipped to 5.7 percent in Hamilton County, last month's jobless rate was the lowest since the summer of 2008.

In the 6-county Chattanooga area, unemployment fell six-tenths of a percentage point last month to 6 percent.

The comparable, non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate for the U.S. as a whole in February was 7 percent.

Among Tennessee's major metro areas, Nashville had the lowest rate at 5 percent while Memphis has the highest rate at 7 percent.

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