Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW)

Jefferson County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2015, at 338,154 jobs. Coosa County had the lowest, at 1,291 jobs. The median was 9,606 jobs and the figure for Alabama was 1,890,340 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest338,154Jefferson County
Lowest1,291Coosa County
Median9,60667 counties
Alabama1,890,340History

Map of counties, 2015

Autauga County: 10,587 jobsBaldwin County: 67,585 jobsBarbour County: 8,202 jobsBibb County: 4,075 jobsBlount County: 8,066 jobsBullock County: 2,905 jobsButler County: 6,841 jobsCalhoun County: 43,628 jobsChambers County: 8,042 jobsCherokee County: 5,057 jobsChilton County: 9,250 jobsChoctaw County: 3,363 jobsClarke County: 8,147 jobsClay County: 3,841 jobsCleburne County: 2,186 jobsCoffee County: 15,210 jobsColbert County: 23,680 jobsConecuh County: 3,531 jobsCoosa County: 1,291 jobsCovington County: 12,215 jobsCrenshaw County: 3,770 jobsCullman County: 27,683 jobsDale County: 16,470 jobsDallas County: 12,734 jobsDeKalb County: 20,840 jobsElmore County: 19,246 jobsEscambia County: 12,772 jobsEtowah County: 35,494 jobsFayette County: 3,916 jobsFranklin County: 10,248 jobsGeneva County: 4,946 jobsGreene County: 1,737 jobsHale County: 2,764 jobsHenry County: 3,345 jobsHouston County: 46,535 jobsJackson County: 16,286 jobsJefferson County: 338,154 jobsLamar County: 3,336 jobsLauderdale County: 29,000 jobsLawrence County: 4,640 jobsLee County: 54,943 jobsLimestone County: 22,651 jobsLowndes County: 2,332 jobsMacon County: 4,770 jobsMadison County: 186,721 jobsMarengo County: 6,881 jobsMarion County: 9,606 jobsMarshall County: 34,824 jobsMobile County: 167,366 jobsMonroe County: 6,089 jobsMontgomery County: 128,963 jobsMorgan County: 46,564 jobsPerry County: 2,097 jobsPickens County: 3,749 jobsPike County: 13,713 jobsRandolph County: 4,826 jobsRussell County: 13,397 jobsSt. Clair County: 18,689 jobsShelby County: 83,420 jobsSumter County: 3,003 jobsTalladega County: 29,565 jobsTallapoosa County: 13,380 jobsTuscaloosa County: 91,535 jobsWalker County: 18,293 jobsWashington County: 3,525 jobsWilcox County: 2,737 jobsWinston County: 7,255 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 16K
  • 16K to 35K
  • 35K and over
jobs, 2015. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Jefferson County: 338,154 jobsJefferson County338,154Madison County: 186,721 jobsMadison County186,721Mobile County: 167,366 jobsMobile County167,366Montgomery County: 128,963 jobsMontgomery County128,963Tuscaloosa County: 91,535 jobsTuscaloosa County91,535Shelby County: 83,420 jobsShelby County83,420Baldwin County: 67,585 jobsBaldwin County67,585Lee County: 54,943 jobsLee County54,943Morgan County: 46,564 jobsMorgan County46,564Houston County: 46,535 jobsHouston County46,535Calhoun County: 43,628 jobsCalhoun County43,628Etowah County: 35,494 jobsEtowah County35,494Marshall County: 34,824 jobsMarshall County34,824Talladega County: 29,565 jobsTalladega County29,565Lauderdale County: 29,000 jobsLauderdale County29,000Cullman County: 27,683 jobsCullman County27,683Colbert County: 23,680 jobsColbert County23,680Limestone County: 22,651 jobsLimestone County22,651DeKalb County: 20,840 jobsDeKalb County20,840Elmore County: 19,246 jobsElmore County19,246St. Clair County: 18,689 jobsSt. Clair County18,689Walker County: 18,293 jobsWalker County18,293Dale County: 16,470 jobsDale County16,470Jackson County: 16,286 jobsJackson County16,286Coffee County: 15,210 jobsCoffee County15,210Pike County: 13,713 jobsPike County13,713Russell County: 13,397 jobsRussell County13,397Tallapoosa County: 13,380 jobsTallapoosa County13,380Escambia County: 12,772 jobsEscambia County12,772Dallas County: 12,734 jobsDallas County12,734Covington County: 12,215 jobsCovington County12,215Autauga County: 10,587 jobsAutauga County10,587Franklin County: 10,248 jobsFranklin County10,248Marion County: 9,606 jobsMarion County9,606Chilton County: 9,250 jobsChilton County9,250Barbour County: 8,202 jobsBarbour County8,202Clarke County: 8,147 jobsClarke County8,147Blount County: 8,066 jobsBlount County8,066Chambers County: 8,042 jobsChambers County8,042Winston County: 7,255 jobsWinston County7,255Jefferson County: 338,154 jobsJefferson County338,154Madison County: 186,721 jobsMadison County186,721Mobile County: 167,366 jobsMobile County167,366Montgomery County: 128,963 jobsMontgomery County128,963Tuscaloosa County: 91,535 jobsTuscaloosa County91,535Shelby County: 83,420 jobsShelby County83,420Baldwin County: 67,585 jobsBaldwin County67,585Lee County: 54,943 jobsLee County54,943Morgan County: 46,564 jobsMorgan County46,564Houston County: 46,535 jobsHouston County46,535Calhoun County: 43,628 jobsCalhoun County43,628Etowah County: 35,494 jobsEtowah County35,494Marshall County: 34,824 jobsMarshall County34,824Talladega County: 29,565 jobsTalladega County29,565Lauderdale County: 29,000 jobsLauderdale County29,000Cullman County: 27,683 jobsCullman County27,683Colbert County: 23,680 jobsColbert County23,680Limestone County: 22,651 jobsLimestone County22,651DeKalb County: 20,840 jobsDeKalb County20,840Elmore County: 19,246 jobsElmore County19,246St. Clair County: 18,689 jobsSt. Clair County18,689Walker County: 18,293 jobsWalker County18,293Dale County: 16,470 jobsDale County16,470Jackson County: 16,286 jobsJackson County16,286Coffee County: 15,210 jobsCoffee County15,210Pike County: 13,713 jobsPike County13,713Russell County: 13,397 jobsRussell County13,397Tallapoosa County: 13,380 jobsTallapoosa County13,380Escambia County: 12,772 jobsEscambia County12,772Dallas County: 12,734 jobsDallas County12,734Covington County: 12,215 jobsCovington County12,215Autauga County: 10,587 jobsAutauga County10,587Franklin County: 10,248 jobsFranklin County10,248Marion County: 9,606 jobsMarion County9,606Chilton County: 9,250 jobsChilton County9,250Barbour County: 8,202 jobsBarbour County8,202Clarke County: 8,147 jobsClarke County8,147Blount County: 8,066 jobsBlount County8,066Chambers County: 8,042 jobsChambers County8,042Winston County: 7,255 jobsWinston County7,255
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
jobs		Change on 2014
1Jefferson County338,154-0.3%
2Madison County186,721+2.2%
3Mobile County167,366+1%
4Montgomery County128,963+0.3%
5Tuscaloosa County91,535+3%
6Shelby County83,420+6%
7Baldwin County67,585+3.9%
8Lee County54,943+2.3%
9Morgan County46,564+0.4%
10Houston County46,535+0.7%
11Calhoun County43,628-0.2%
12Etowah County35,494+1%
13Marshall County34,824+4.1%
14Talladega County29,565+2.6%
15Lauderdale County29,000-2.5%
16Cullman County27,683+3.9%
17Colbert County23,680+2.4%
18Limestone County22,651+2.5%
19DeKalb County20,840+0.5%
20Elmore County19,246+3%
21St. Clair County18,689+3.5%
22Walker County18,293-0.9%
23Dale County16,470-1.2%
24Jackson County16,286+1.8%
25Coffee County15,210+2.9%
26Pike County13,713+2.2%
27Russell County13,397+0.3%
28Tallapoosa County13,380+4.6%
29Escambia County12,772+4.3%
30Dallas County12,734+0.3%
31Covington County12,215-1.5%
32Autauga County10,587+1.2%
33Franklin County10,248+3.2%
34Marion County9,606+3%
35Chilton County9,250+0.5%
36Barbour County8,202+0.4%
37Clarke County8,147-0.2%
38Blount County8,066+1.3%
39Chambers County8,042-1.7%
40Winston County7,255-0.7%
41Marengo County6,881-2.3%
42Butler County6,841+0.3%
43Monroe County6,089-1.8%
44Cherokee County5,057-1.4%
45Geneva County4,946+1.8%
46Randolph County4,826+4.6%
47Macon County4,770-3.6%
48Lawrence County4,640-6%
49Bibb County4,075-3.9%
50Fayette County3,916+2.8%
51Clay County3,841+2.8%
52Crenshaw County3,770+1.8%
53Pickens County3,749+0.1%
54Conecuh County3,531+2%
55Washington County3,525+3%
56Choctaw County3,363-2%
57Henry County3,345+1.3%
58Lamar County3,336+2.3%
59Sumter County3,003-4.1%
60Bullock County2,905-0.9%
61Hale County2,764+1%
62Wilcox County2,737+2.4%
63Lowndes County2,332+0.3%
64Cleburne County2,186-7.5%
65Perry County2,097+2.9%
66Greene County1,737-4.4%
67Coosa County1,291+0.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_alabama_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Alabama by covered employment (QCEW), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Jefferson County, with 338,154 jobs in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Coosa County, with 1,291 jobs in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Alabama: more rankings