Pickett unemployed at 12.7%
County unemployment rates for December 2012, released this week, show the rate decreased in two counties and increased in 93 primarily due to normal seasonal employment declines. County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and reflect seasonal employment changes from month to month.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate for December remained constant from the November revised rate of 7.6 percent. The national unemployment rate for December 2012 was 7.8 percent, also unchanged from the previous month.
The state unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted while the county unemployment rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique that eliminates the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from economic time series.
Pickett County recorded a 12.7% unemployment rate for December, up 1.5 percentage points from 11.2%.
Surrounding counties reported the following jobless rates for December: Clay County 10% (up from 9.6%); Fentress County 9.2% (up from 8.3%); Putnam County 7.1% (up from 6.5%); and Overton County 7.4% (up from 6.9%).