Upper Cumberland Unemployment Rate Holds Steady In August - Upper Cumberland Business Journal

(UCBJ) – Unemployment rates remained below 6% across all 14 Upper Cumberland counties in August, with several counties reporting lower rates than July while most remained unchanged or posted only slight increases, according to August 2026 labor force estimates from the State of Tennessee. Unemployment rates across the region ranged from 3% in Macon County to 5.2% in Pickett County. Macon County recorded the region’s lowest rate at 3%, unchanged from July and August 2025. Cannon County reported a 3.1% unemployment rate, unchanged from July but up from 2.9% a year ago. Smith County remained at 3.2%, unchanged from both July and August 2025. Van Buren County fell to 3.4%, down from 3.6% in July but up slightly from 3.3% a year earlier.