The unemployment rate for Bedford County in Tennessee dropped to 9.8 percent in October, with these numbers coming from the state’s department of labor on a preliminary basis. The decrease in the rate was by 0.8 percent as the jobless rate for Bedford was sitting at 10.6 percent in September. In October of 2010, the unemployment rate for Bedford County was at 10.8 percent.

The work force for Bedford County includes over 20,900 workers currently employed out of a possible 23,200 workers. This equates to around 2,200 workers without a job. Tennessee’s jobless rate fell in October to 9.6 percent, which was down from the revised rate of 9.8 percent in the month of September. The country’s unemployment rate for October was 9.0 percent, a drop of 0.1 percent from September’s revised rate.

“The drop in the unemployment rate from September to October is attributable to an increase in employment and fewer people looking for jobs,” Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development Karla Davis said. “Education and health services were two of the sectors fueling the monthly increase in employment.”

Bill Fox, an economist from the University of Tennessee, claims that the state is doing a much better job than the country when it comes to creating employment opportunities for residents.

“Over the year, Tennessee’s jobless rate is slightly higher than it was a year ago and is still above the U.S. rate, but the state’s rate of employment growth at 1.7 percent has outpaced the nation’s,” Fox said. “Durable goods manufacturing such as transportation equipment, machinery and metals contribute toward that positive growth.”

Non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for the month of October in counties show an increase in the rate in one county, two counties stayed the same, and 92 counties saw a decrease.

The lowest unemployment rate for a county in Tennessee was Lincoln, coming in at 5.8 percent, which decreased from 6.6 percent in September. The second-lowest unemployment rate for a county was Williamson, which dropped to 6.3 percent from 7.0 percent. The highest unemployment rate in Tennessee was registered in Scott County, which has a percent of 18.1, a number down from 19.5 percent in September.

7,500 jobs were added in local government education services while there were 4,100 jobs created in education and health services. Trade, transportation, and utilities saw an increase of 2,600 jobs on a month-to-month basis.

There were 2,000 jobs lost from September to October in leisure and hospitality while mining, logging, and construction dropped 1,000 jobs. Financial services lost 800 jobs over the span of one month. There were 11,500 jobs added over one year in the local government education services industry while educational and health services increased by 7,000. The durable goods manufacturing industry added 4,800 jobs over the previous year.

Tennessee has seen major improvements in its job market over the previous year, with employees taking it one month at a time.