Alabama’s August unemployment rate falls to 4.2%

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Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped below the national average for the first time since October 2013.

Governor Kay Ivey‘s office said Friday the seasonally adjusted jobless rate for August was 4.2 percent, down from the July rate of 4.5 percent.

“After hovering near the national unemployment rate for several months, Alabama’s rate has dropped below it for the first time in many years,” Ivey said. “This is a milestone we’ve been working toward for some time. We announced this week that Autocar, LLC. is opening a new plant in Birmingham, bringing nearly 750 new jobs. As we continue to recruit new businesses to Alabama, hopefully, we’ll be able to maintain that achievement in the months to come.”

August’s rate represents 90,913 unemployed persons, compared to 96,158 in July. The last time the number of unemployed was at or below 90,913 was in August 2007, when it measured 89,206. And 2,057,109 were counted as employed, compared to 2,063,900 in July.

“In August, we had the lowest number of unemployed in a decade,” added Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington. “We continue to see increases in the number of jobs our economy is supporting, almost doubling economists’ projected job gains for the entire year within the first eight months.”

All counties, major cities, and metropolitan statistical areas experienced drops in their unemployment rates, both over the year and over the month.

Alabama Map August 2017Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are:

  • Shelby County at 3.2%
  • Cullman County at 3.6%
  • Elmore, Madison, and Marshall Counties at 3.7%

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are:

  • Wilcox County at 11.3%
  • Clarke County at 8.6%
  • Greene County at 7.8%.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are:

  • Vestavia Hills at 2.8%,
  • Homewood at 2.9%
  • Alabaster at 3.0%

Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are:

  • Selma at 8.3%
  • Prichard at 8.0%
  • Bessemer at 5.6%.