Through a partnership with Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, BERC developed and maintains this database of current economic data on Tennessee and its 10 metropolitan statistical areas, with economics professor David Penn as principal investigator.

Current Highlights for Tennessee 

(Detailed graphs and tables at left)

• Seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance in Tennessee declined slightly in July, falling to a weekly average of 4,320, very near the trend of 4,416 claims. Both seasonally adjusted claims and trend have improved following the large increase in claims in March. [graph]
• Permits issued for single-family home construction for Tennessee dropped to 1,869 units in July, in line with the figures from April and May. Over the year, single-family unit permits have increased 24.8%. Total permits, including multi-family units, are 47.3% higher over the year, indicating very strong construction activity for apartments and other multi-family units. [graph]
• State sales tax collections continue to grow rapidly, rising 0.8% in July after seasonal adjustments. State sales tax collections are 7.1% higher over the year, with nine of the 10 metropolitan areas in Tennessee experiencing gains of 6.0% or higher. [graph]
• Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment for Tennessee was little changed in July, up 1,300 from the previous month. All 10 metropolitan areas in the state experienced job gains over the year, with three areas growing by 3% or more. Over the year, Tennessee nonfarm employment is 1.9% higher. [graph]
• Unemployment rate for Tennessee remained at 5.7% in July, with the U.S. rate remaining stable at 5.3%. The July unemployment rate is less than 6% in five of the 10 metropolitan areas in the state. [graph]
• Average weekly hours for Tennessee rose to 35.2 for July, a small gain from the previous month. Weekly hours are unchanged over the year. [graph]
• Average hourly earnings for Tennessee were $20.80 per hour in July, showing little change over the year. [graph]

About the Data