Tennessee’s Unemployment Rate Remains At 3.6%

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***Note from The Tennessee Conservative – this article posted here for informational purposes only.

The Center Square [By Kim Jarrett] –

Tennessee’s May jobless rate is 3.6%, unchanged from the previous three months, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The state’s rate is slightly higher than the 3.5% rate reported in May of 2025.

The national unemployment rate is 4.3%.

An additional 5,700 nonfarm jobs were added between April and May, the department said. The largest increases are in leisure and hospitality and durable goods manufacturing, according to the department. The most significant declines are in the financial activities and nondurable goods manufacturing sectors.

From May 2025 to May 2026, the state added 8,000 jobs, the department said. The health care/social assistance and administrative, support and waste services added the most jobs. The nondurable goods manufacturing and retail trade sectors experienced the largest losses.

The average wage for Tennesseans dropped from $1,082.30 a week in April to $1,076.74, a $7.56 decline, according to the department. Hourly wages fell by six cents, from $24.71 to $24.65.

The state’s wages lag behind the national average of $30.15 cents an hour, which is just a penny less than April’s average. The weekly U.S. wage increased from $1,251.64 in April to $1,254.24 in May, a $2.60 difference.