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 2019, at 354,285 jobs. Coosa County had the lowest, at 1,441 jobs. The median was 10,075 jobs and the figure for Alabama was 1,989,555 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest354,285Jefferson County
Lowest1,441Coosa County
Median10,07567 counties
Alabama1,989,555History

Map of counties, 2019

Autauga County: 11,107 jobsBaldwin County: 76,419 jobsBarbour County: 8,239 jobsBibb County: 4,602 jobsBlount County: 8,712 jobsBullock County: 2,950 jobsButler County: 6,922 jobsCalhoun County: 44,563 jobsChambers County: 8,480 jobsCherokee County: 5,218 jobsChilton County: 9,551 jobsChoctaw County: 3,653 jobsClarke County: 7,967 jobsClay County: 4,297 jobsCleburne County: 2,051 jobsCoffee County: 16,404 jobsColbert County: 24,252 jobsConecuh County: 3,431 jobsCoosa County: 1,441 jobsCovington County: 12,240 jobsCrenshaw County: 3,742 jobsCullman County: 28,982 jobsDale County: 17,230 jobsDallas County: 12,201 jobsDeKalb County: 22,382 jobsElmore County: 19,892 jobsEscambia County: 12,875 jobsEtowah County: 35,617 jobsFayette County: 4,003 jobsFranklin County: 11,092 jobsGeneva County: 5,110 jobsGreene County: 1,774 jobsHale County: 2,675 jobsHenry County: 3,382 jobsHouston County: 49,036 jobsJackson County: 15,596 jobsJefferson County: 354,285 jobsLamar County: 3,472 jobsLauderdale County: 29,715 jobsLawrence County: 5,033 jobsLee County: 60,300 jobsLimestone County: 24,368 jobsLowndes County: 2,320 jobsMacon County: 4,628 jobsMadison County: 206,133 jobsMarengo County: 7,180 jobsMarion County: 10,075 jobsMarshall County: 38,054 jobsMobile County: 171,826 jobsMonroe County: 6,241 jobsMontgomery County: 130,780 jobsMorgan County: 49,920 jobsPerry County: 2,094 jobsPickens County: 3,745 jobsPike County: 14,329 jobsRandolph County: 4,762 jobsRussell County: 14,181 jobsSt. Clair County: 20,062 jobsShelby County: 84,905 jobsSumter County: 2,978 jobsTalladega County: 30,078 jobsTallapoosa County: 13,381 jobsTuscaloosa County: 97,250 jobsWalker County: 18,415 jobsWashington County: 3,594 jobsWilcox County: 2,793 jobsWinston County: 8,157 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 17K
  • 17K to 38K
  • 38K and over
jobs, 2019. 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, 2019

Jefferson County: 354,285 jobsJefferson County354,285Madison County: 206,133 jobsMadison County206,133Mobile County: 171,826 jobsMobile County171,826Montgomery County: 130,780 jobsMontgomery County130,780Tuscaloosa County: 97,250 jobsTuscaloosa County97,250Shelby County: 84,905 jobsShelby County84,905Baldwin County: 76,419 jobsBaldwin County76,419Lee County: 60,300 jobsLee County60,300Morgan County: 49,920 jobsMorgan County49,920Houston County: 49,036 jobsHouston County49,036Calhoun County: 44,563 jobsCalhoun County44,563Marshall County: 38,054 jobsMarshall County38,054Etowah County: 35,617 jobsEtowah County35,617Talladega County: 30,078 jobsTalladega County30,078Lauderdale County: 29,715 jobsLauderdale County29,715Cullman County: 28,982 jobsCullman County28,982Limestone County: 24,368 jobsLimestone County24,368Colbert County: 24,252 jobsColbert County24,252DeKalb County: 22,382 jobsDeKalb County22,382St. Clair County: 20,062 jobsSt. Clair County20,062Elmore County: 19,892 jobsElmore County19,892Walker County: 18,415 jobsWalker County18,415Dale County: 17,230 jobsDale County17,230Coffee County: 16,404 jobsCoffee County16,404Jackson County: 15,596 jobsJackson County15,596Pike County: 14,329 jobsPike County14,329Russell County: 14,181 jobsRussell County14,181Tallapoosa County: 13,381 jobsTallapoosa County13,381Escambia County: 12,875 jobsEscambia County12,875Covington County: 12,240 jobsCovington County12,240Dallas County: 12,201 jobsDallas County12,201Autauga County: 11,107 jobsAutauga County11,107Franklin County: 11,092 jobsFranklin County11,092Marion County: 10,075 jobsMarion County10,075Chilton County: 9,551 jobsChilton County9,551Blount County: 8,712 jobsBlount County8,712Chambers County: 8,480 jobsChambers County8,480Barbour County: 8,239 jobsBarbour County8,239Winston County: 8,157 jobsWinston County8,157Clarke County: 7,967 jobsClarke County7,967Jefferson County: 354,285 jobsJefferson County354,285Madison County: 206,133 jobsMadison County206,133Mobile County: 171,826 jobsMobile County171,826Montgomery County: 130,780 jobsMontgomery County130,780Tuscaloosa County: 97,250 jobsTuscaloosa County97,250Shelby County: 84,905 jobsShelby County84,905Baldwin County: 76,419 jobsBaldwin County76,419Lee County: 60,300 jobsLee County60,300Morgan County: 49,920 jobsMorgan County49,920Houston County: 49,036 jobsHouston County49,036Calhoun County: 44,563 jobsCalhoun County44,563Marshall County: 38,054 jobsMarshall County38,054Etowah County: 35,617 jobsEtowah County35,617Talladega County: 30,078 jobsTalladega County30,078Lauderdale County: 29,715 jobsLauderdale County29,715Cullman County: 28,982 jobsCullman County28,982Limestone County: 24,368 jobsLimestone County24,368Colbert County: 24,252 jobsColbert County24,252DeKalb County: 22,382 jobsDeKalb County22,382St. Clair County: 20,062 jobsSt. Clair County20,062Elmore County: 19,892 jobsElmore County19,892Walker County: 18,415 jobsWalker County18,415Dale County: 17,230 jobsDale County17,230Coffee County: 16,404 jobsCoffee County16,404Jackson County: 15,596 jobsJackson County15,596Pike County: 14,329 jobsPike County14,329Russell County: 14,181 jobsRussell County14,181Tallapoosa County: 13,381 jobsTallapoosa County13,381Escambia County: 12,875 jobsEscambia County12,875Covington County: 12,240 jobsCovington County12,240Dallas County: 12,201 jobsDallas County12,201Autauga County: 11,107 jobsAutauga County11,107Franklin County: 11,092 jobsFranklin County11,092Marion County: 10,075 jobsMarion County10,075Chilton County: 9,551 jobsChilton County9,551Blount County: 8,712 jobsBlount County8,712Chambers County: 8,480 jobsChambers County8,480Barbour County: 8,239 jobsBarbour County8,239Winston County: 8,157 jobsWinston County8,157Clarke County: 7,967 jobsClarke County7,967
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

RankCounties2019
jobs		Change on 2018
1Jefferson County354,285+1.2%
2Madison County206,133+2.9%
3Mobile County171,826+0.4%
4Montgomery County130,780-0.2%
5Tuscaloosa County97,250+2.9%
6Shelby County84,905-0.2%
7Baldwin County76,419+3.2%
8Lee County60,300+2.2%
9Morgan County49,920+3.2%
10Houston County49,036+2.1%
11Calhoun County44,563+0.3%
12Marshall County38,054+2.8%
13Etowah County35,617-1.8%
14Talladega County30,078+1.3%
15Lauderdale County29,715-0.1%
16Cullman County28,982+0.5%
17Limestone County24,368+1.6%
18Colbert County24,252+1.8%
19DeKalb County22,382+2.7%
20St. Clair County20,062+1.4%
21Elmore County19,892+0.2%
22Walker County18,415+0.6%
23Dale County17,230+1.5%
24Coffee County16,404+3.3%
25Jackson County15,596-1.9%
26Pike County14,329+0.5%
27Russell County14,181+0.8%
28Tallapoosa County13,381+3.2%
29Escambia County12,875+0.8%
30Covington County12,240-1.1%
31Dallas County12,201-2.1%
32Autauga County11,107+1.2%
33Franklin County11,092+2.6%
34Marion County10,075+0.9%
35Chilton County9,551+0.4%
36Blount County8,712+2.1%
37Chambers County8,480+1.5%
38Barbour County8,239+1.6%
39Winston County8,157+3.5%
40Clarke County7,967-0.6%
41Marengo County7,180+1.4%
42Butler County6,922+2.6%
43Monroe County6,241+1.9%
44Cherokee County5,218-0.9%
45Geneva County5,110+2%
46Lawrence County5,033+2.7%
47Randolph County4,762-1.3%
48Macon County4,628-2.6%
49Bibb County4,602+9.2%
50Clay County4,297+0.5%
51Fayette County4,003-0.4%
52Pickens County3,745-1.8%
53Crenshaw County3,742+1.5%
54Choctaw County3,653-2.9%
55Washington County3,594+0.3%
56Lamar County3,472+0.4%
57Conecuh County3,431-1.3%
58Henry County3,382+1.3%
59Sumter County2,978+2%
60Bullock County2,950-0.7%
61Wilcox County2,793-0.8%
62Hale County2,675-2.1%
63Lowndes County2,320-1.4%
64Perry County2,094-1.3%
65Cleburne County2,051-3.4%
66Greene County1,774+0.2%
67Coosa County1,441+2.5%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_alabama_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/alabama-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 354,285 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Coosa County, with 1,441 jobs in 2019.

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