Marie Millsaps

Correspondent

Monroe County's unemployment rate went up from 10.6 percent in September to 10.8 percent in October, according to jobless figures just released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

That upward trend joined 64 of Tennessee's 95 counties, which also saw their jobless rates go up. Fourteen counties had unemployment rates go down and 17 counties stayed the same.

Monroe County was the only county in the state last month (September report) which had an increase in unemployment, but apparently the county's trend is now being followed by other counties across the state.

Tennessee's counties will hope to buck that trend with the Christmas season upon us.

McMinn County's jobless rate went up from 9 percent to 9.2 percent while Loudon County's rate stayed the same for both months at 6.7 percent.