MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Tennessee Department of Labor has released the county level unemployment numbers for December and Williamson County is once again reporting the state’s lowest jobless rate.
Williamson County’s unemployment rate in December stood at five percent, well below the state average of 7.6 percent.
Williamson County routinely reports the states best jobless numbers and also routinely ranks as one of the top counties in the nation for job creation.
Jeremiah Pyron at the Williamson County Office of Economic Development says having a qualified workforce is one of the area’s biggest advantages.
“A lot of it has to do with education levels here. We have – 52 percent of our workforce has at least a bachelor’s degree or higher. Where you look at the national average – it’s somewhere in the mid-twenties:26 or 27 percent.”
Pyron says Williamson County also boasts a diverse business community, insulating the area from a downturn in any one industry.
He says unemployment is likely to stay low, with many local businesses reporting they intend to hire still more workers in the coming year.