Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced on Friday that the state's labor force participation rate remained unchanged in September at 57%.
The "prime-age" participation rate, which measures the labor force participation rate for individuals aged 25-54, increased slightly to 78% in September.
Washington also said that Alabama's preliminary, seasonally adjusted September unemployment rate increased from 2.1% to 2.2%. The rate is below September 2022's rate of 2.6%. The rate represents 50,179 unemployed persons, compared to 48,590 in August and 60,488 in September 2022.
The number of people counted as employed increased by 35,931 over the year to a new record high of 2,259,784. The civilian labor force also reached a new record high of 2,309,963, with 25,622 more people joining the labor force over the year.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at 1.9%, Morgan, Marshall, Madison, and Limestone Counties at 2%, and Elmore, Cullman, Elmore, and Chilton Counties at 2.1%. Counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County at 7.4%, Dallas County at 5.1% and Perry County at 4.6%.
Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are Vestavia Hills at 1.7%, Alabaster, Homewood, Madison, and Hoover at 1.8%, and Trussville at 1.9%. Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are Selma at 6%, Prichard at 4.7% and Bessemer at 3.9%.
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