NASHVILLE, TN (WDEF) – The number of new unemployment claims in Tennessee since March 15, the start of the pandemic, topped the one million mark last week. There have been 1,002,908 claims since mid-March. New unemployment claims in Tennessee increased by 5,400 to 21,954 from 16,554 the week before. This is the third straight week of increasing claims. Continuous claims also continue to rise with 58,954 this week; up from 51,816. These numbers are from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce.

Every county in the southeast Tennessee area saw increases in unemployment. Hamilton County numbers increased by 339 new claims. Shelby County continues to see the highest number of new claims in the state with 5,225. Davidson County was the second highest with 2,603. Maury County had 1,248 new claims.

Nationally, the number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million – 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.

With additional reporting from The Associated Press.

Statewide Data: