Unemployment in Hamilton County fell last month to the lowest level in seven years.
The jobless rate in Hamilton County during April declined by four tenths of a percentage point to 5 percent - the lowest rate since unemployment was at 4.6 percent in April 2008.
The preliminary non-seasonally adjusted data released today from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed that Hamilton County added 3,070 jobs during April. The number of unemployed persons in the county fell by 530.
Over the past year, Hamilton County employers have added 5,850 jobs, according to the newly released state job figures.
Across Tennessee, Davidson County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate in April at 4.1 percent, down from 4.4 percent in March. Knox County was 4.3 percent in April, down from 4.6 the previous month. Shelby County in Memphis had the highest metro jobless rate at 6.2 percent in April, down from 6.7 percent the previous month.
Tennessee's preliminary unemployment rate for April was 6.0 percent, three-tenths of one percentage point lower than the March revised rate of 6.3 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for April was 5.4 percent, one-tenth of one percentage point lower than the prior month.