Counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama

Despite a relatively low unemployment rate, Americans continue to fear job losses amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

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 June 2024, 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.

Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a “soft landing.” Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers, from Google to Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. What’s more, unemployment has spiked in over half the country’s states since last year, which often indicates a looming recession, a chief global economist at Piper Sandler told Business Insider. Unemployment is also up in a vast majority of U.S. metros.

Still, as of July 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%, with only a slight increase from the previous month. For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

Regional and state employment range widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Washington D.C.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama.

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#50. Chambers County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,610 people (471 unemployed)

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#49. Clay County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,933 people (174 unemployed)

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#48. Bibb County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,927 people (260 unemployed)

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#47. Geneva County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,307 people (328 unemployed)

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#46. Dale County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 21,361 people (624 unemployed)

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#45. Jackson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,790 people (698 unemployed)

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#44. Houston County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 49,180 people (1,421 unemployed)

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#43. Lee County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 83,486 people (2,387 unemployed)

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#42. Tuscaloosa County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 107,778 people (3,148 unemployed)

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#41. Jefferson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 331,877 people (9,607 unemployed)

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#40. Winston County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 10,017 people (302 unemployed)

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#39. Marion County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,442 people (408 unemployed)

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#38. Walker County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 26,182 people (790 unemployed)

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#37. Coosa County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,494 people (140 unemployed)

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#36. Lamar County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,792 people (181 unemployed)

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#35. Crenshaw County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,188 people (194 unemployed)

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#34. Randolph County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,713 people (298 unemployed)

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#33. Tallapoosa County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,666 people (551 unemployed)

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#32. Coffee County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,048 people (689 unemployed)

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#31. Lauderdale County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 43,891 people (1,376 unemployed)

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#30. Montgomery County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 109,792 people (3,439 unemployed)

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#29. Fayette County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,503 people (211 unemployed)

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#28. Washington County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,077 people (286 unemployed)

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#27. Colbert County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,285 people (786 unemployed)

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#26. Talladega County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 36,360 people (1,170 unemployed)

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#25. Calhoun County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 46,178 people (1,494 unemployed)

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#24. Bullock County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,572 people (152 unemployed)

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#23. Covington County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,943 people (493 unemployed)

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#22. Henry County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,192 people (242 unemployed)

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#21. Pike County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,040 people (553 unemployed)

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#20. Russell County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,975 people (809 unemployed)

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#19. Etowah County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 40,062 people (1,348 unemployed)

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#18. Mobile County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 191,182 people (6,743 unemployed)

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#17. Butler County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,115 people (331 unemployed)

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#16. Escambia County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,666 people (530 unemployed)

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#15. Marengo County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 7,643 people (293 unemployed)

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#14. Hale County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,968 people (246 unemployed)

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#13. Macon County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,152 people (333 unemployed)

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#12. Pickens County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,914 people (333 unemployed)

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#11. Conecuh County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,294 people (188 unemployed)

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#10. Greene County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,924 people (134 unemployed)

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#9. Barbour County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,778 people (356 unemployed)

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#8. Choctaw County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,050 people (192 unemployed)

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#7. Monroe County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,835 people (337 unemployed)

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#6. Sumter County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Up 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,524 people (230 unemployed)

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#5. Lowndes County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,546 people (188 unemployed)

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#4. Clarke County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,592 people (436 unemployed)

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#3. Dallas County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Up 1.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 13,399 people (799 unemployed)

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#2. Perry County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Up 2.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,953 people (201 unemployed)

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#1. Wilcox County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.5%
— 1-month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,535 people (216 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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