News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
March unemployment rates fell slightly across the Upper Cumberland as COVID-19 job losses did not show up.
The heart of COVID-19 job losses did not begin until the final days of March as the government began shutting down parts of the economy. More than 16,000 unemployment claims have been filed across the Upper Cumberland over the last month.
Clay County led the region with an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent, down slightly from February numbers. Only Lincoln County along the Tennessee/Alabama border had a higher unemployment rate statewide at 7 percent.
Putnam County unemployment remained nearly steady in March at 3.7 percent. Overton County’s rate fell 0.3 percent to 4.4 percent. Jackson County saw a half percent reduction in March. White County’s 4.1 percent rate remains unchanged. Fentress County reported a 4.6 percent unemployment rate.
