By CHRIS MEGGINSON / Staff Writer

Unemployment in Shelby County grew .4 percent in December 2007 to 2.6 percent according to new data recently released by the Department of Industrial Relations. The new rate is up from 2.2 percent in November and from 2.1 in December 2006.

Despite the increase, Shelby County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate of counties in the state.

The state’s unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent to 4 percent from November to December 2007. DIR director Tom Surtees says the state’s increase was reflective of the national unemployment rate, which rose from 4.7 in November to 5 in December