Counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama
Published 4:33 pm Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama
While significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, unemployment rates remain a subject of concern, though experts’ views on a potential recession are mixed. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2007-2009—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of May 2023, national unemployment is at 3.4%, with little change from April. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.9% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Nevada.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Alabama using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in May 2023, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
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#50. Lee County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 81,017 people (1,658 unemployed)
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#49. Coosa County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,565 people (96 unemployed)
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#48. Cleburne County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,114 people (126 unemployed)
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#47. Geneva County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 11,111 people (233 unemployed)
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#46. Cherokee County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,726 people (246 unemployed)
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#45. Chambers County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,864 people (333 unemployed)
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#44. Coffee County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,794 people (452 unemployed)
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#43. Jackson County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,221 people (494 unemployed)
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#42. Tuscaloosa County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 105,484 people (2,226 unemployed)
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#41. Jefferson County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 325,477 people (6,869 unemployed)
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#40. Lamar County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 5,656 people (126 unemployed)
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#39. Crenshaw County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,771 people (127 unemployed)
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#38. Henry County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,072 people (158 unemployed)
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#37. Bibb County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,749 people (191 unemployed)
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#36. Dale County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,672 people (467 unemployed)
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#35. Russell County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 24,339 people (528 unemployed)
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#34. Lauderdale County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 43,044 people (940 unemployed)
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#33. Houston County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 48,739 people (1,070 unemployed)
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#32. Fayette County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,568 people (150 unemployed)
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#31. Winston County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,039 people (230 unemployed)
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#30. Covington County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,644 people (334 unemployed)
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#29. Pike County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 16,077 people (364 unemployed)
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#28. Tallapoosa County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,946 people (382 unemployed)
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#27. Walker County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,677 people (603 unemployed)
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#26. Talladega County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 37,340 people (872 unemployed)
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#25. Franklin County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,652 people (351 unemployed)
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#24. Colbert County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,858 people (583 unemployed)
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#23. Etowah County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 39,176 people (946 unemployed)
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#22. Calhoun County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 46,475 people (1,116 unemployed)
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#21. Butler County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,035 people (227 unemployed)
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#20. Montgomery County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 108,358 people (2,666 unemployed)
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#19. Mobile County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 194,635 people (4,880 unemployed)
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#18. Pickens County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,643 people (195 unemployed)
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#17. Marion County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,755 people (360 unemployed)
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#16. Escambia County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,409 people (382 unemployed)
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#15. Conecuh County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,200 people (117 unemployed)
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#14. Marengo County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,693 people (212 unemployed)
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#13. Hale County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,754 people (164 unemployed)
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#12. Macon County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,831 people (226 unemployed)
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#11. Washington County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,405 people (192 unemployed)
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#10. Sumter County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,435 people (137 unemployed)
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#9. Choctaw County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,151 people (140 unemployed)
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#8. Monroe County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,022 people (260 unemployed)
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#7. Barbour County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,958 people (295 unemployed)
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#6. Lowndes County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,462 people (137 unemployed)
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#5. Greene County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,758 people (113 unemployed)
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#4. Perry County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,874 people (119 unemployed)
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#3. Clarke County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,656 people (333 unemployed)
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#2. Dallas County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,520 people (613 unemployed)
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#1. Wilcox County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,416 people (165 unemployed)