Counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama

Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, stoking concern throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates.

As of September, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 260 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 37 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In October, these statistics were both lower than in previous months, indicating that the rate cuts may already be helping stabilize unemployment.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Alabama, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in September 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.

In October, the health care and government sectors saw employment trend upward, while labor strikes contributed to a decline in manufacturing employment. However, the national unemployment rate still remains relatively low at 4.1% in October, unchanged from the previous month. It remains higher than it has otherwise been since November 2021.

By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth. Since last year, unemployment has spiked in half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. In September, South Carolina and Utah saw the biggest unemployment rate increases.

These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a “soft landing.” The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.

To get a better idea of your community’s current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama.

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#50. DeKalb County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 31,650 people (876 unemployed)

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#49. Lamar County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,932 people (172 unemployed)

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#48. Crenshaw County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 6,243 people (182 unemployed)

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#47. Geneva County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,498 people (333 unemployed)

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#46. Franklin County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,500 people (417 unemployed)

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#45. Lee County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 83,709 people (2,390 unemployed)

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#44. Baldwin County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 105,777 people (3,015 unemployed)

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#43. Tuscaloosa County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 108,258 people (3,171 unemployed)

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#42. Bibb County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,901 people (264 unemployed)

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#41. Lauderdale County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 43,866 people (1,336 unemployed)

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#40. Randolph County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,783 people (306 unemployed)

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#39. Covington County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,322 people (478 unemployed)

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#38. Dale County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,633 people (662 unemployed)

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#37. Coffee County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,730 people (697 unemployed)

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#36. Jefferson County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 330,177 people (10,133 unemployed)

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#35. Pike County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,118 people (513 unemployed)

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#34. Tallapoosa County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,910 people (580 unemployed)

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#33. Jackson County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 23,893 people (756 unemployed)

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#32. Talladega County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 37,026 people (1,195 unemployed)

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#31. Houston County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 49,316 people (1,555 unemployed)

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#30. Coosa County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,543 people (151 unemployed)

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#29. Colbert County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,328 people (797 unemployed)

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#28. Walker County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,105 people (858 unemployed)

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#27. Montgomery County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 109,746 people (3,573 unemployed)

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#26. Butler County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,940 people (300 unemployed)

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#25. Winston County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,034 people (339 unemployed)

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#24. Marion County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,107 people (441 unemployed)

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#23. Russell County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,051 people (829 unemployed)

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#22. Fayette County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,493 people (229 unemployed)

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#21. Etowah County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 39,910 people (1,395 unemployed)

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#20. Calhoun County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 46,313 people (1,618 unemployed)

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#19. Henry County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,253 people (262 unemployed)

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#18. Pickens County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,990 people (284 unemployed)

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#17. Escambia County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,577 people (519 unemployed)

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#16. Mobile County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 191,266 people (6,936 unemployed)

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#15. Bullock County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,726 people (176 unemployed)

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#14. Macon County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,402 people (323 unemployed)

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#13. Conecuh County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,341 people (170 unemployed)

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#12. Hale County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,147 people (241 unemployed)

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#11. Marengo County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,664 people (311 unemployed)

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#10. Sumter County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,656 people (212 unemployed)

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#9. Barbour County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,886 people (364 unemployed)

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#8. Lowndes County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,556 people (170 unemployed)

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#7. Choctaw County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,204 people (204 unemployed)

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#6. Monroe County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,927 people (341 unemployed)

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#5. Perry County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,114 people (182 unemployed)

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#4. Dallas County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,427 people (778 unemployed)

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#3. Greene County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,968 people (182 unemployed)

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#2. Clarke County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,745 people (472 unemployed)

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#1. Wilcox County

– September unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 2,586 people (212 unemployed)

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

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