Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama by unemployment rate, August 2026

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in August 2026, at 7%. Shelby County had the lowest, at 2.8%. The median was 3.7% and the figure for Alabama was 3.4%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7Perry County
Lowest2.8Shelby County
Median3.767 counties
Alabama3.4History

Top 40 counties, August 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 7 %7Greene CountyGreene County: 6.8 %6.8Monroe CountyMonroe County: 6.6 %6.6Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 6.4 %6.4Clarke CountyClarke County: 6 %6Dallas CountyDallas County: 5.6 %5.6Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 5.6 %5.6Sumter CountySumter County: 5.5 %5.5Macon CountyMacon County: 5.2 %5.2Conecuh CountyConecuh County: 5.1 %5.1Choctaw CountyChoctaw County: 5 %5Hale CountyHale County: 5 %5Barbour CountyBarbour County: 4.7 %4.7Pickens CountyPickens County: 4.7 %4.7Butler CountyButler County: 4.5 %4.5Escambia CountyEscambia County: 4.5 %4.5Marengo CountyMarengo County: 4.5 %4.5Mobile CountyMobile County: 4.4 %4.4Russell CountyRussell County: 4.3 %4.3Clay CountyClay County: 4.2 %4.2Talladega CountyTalladega County: 4.2 %4.2Bullock CountyBullock County: 4.1 %4.1Pike CountyPike County: 4.1 %4.1Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 4 %4Dale CountyDale County: 4 %4Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 4 %4Colbert CountyColbert County: 3.9 %3.9Crenshaw CountyCrenshaw County: 3.9 %3.9Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 3.9 %3.9Winston CountyWinston County: 3.9 %3.9Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.8 %3.8Marion CountyMarion County: 3.8 %3.8Tuscaloosa CountyTuscaloosa County: 3.8 %3.8Etowah CountyEtowah County: 3.7 %3.7Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.7 %3.7Randolph CountyRandolph County: 3.7 %3.7Tallapoosa CountyTallapoosa County: 3.7 %3.7Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 3.6 %3.6Covington CountyCovington County: 3.6 %3.6Fayette CountyFayette County: 3.6 %3.6
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesAugust 2026 (%)Change on August 2025
1Perry County Provisional7+0.4 pts
2Greene County Provisional6.8+0.3 pts
3Monroe County Provisional6.6+0.6 pts
4Wilcox County Provisional6.4+0.1 pts
5Clarke County Provisional6+0.6 pts
6Dallas County Provisional5.6+0.6 pts
6Lowndes County Provisional5.6-0.2 pts
8Sumter County Provisional5.5+0.8 pts
9Macon County Provisional5.2+0.9 pts
10Conecuh County Provisional5.1+0.7 pts
11Choctaw County Provisional5+0.9 pts
11Hale County Provisional5+0.3 pts
13Barbour County Provisional4.7+0.9 pts
13Pickens County Provisional4.7+0.6 pts
15Butler County Provisional4.5+0.8 pts
15Escambia County Provisional4.5+0.7 pts
15Marengo County Provisional4.5+0.6 pts
18Mobile County Provisional4.4+0.6 pts
19Russell County Provisional4.3+0.7 pts
20Clay County Provisional4.2+1.4 pts
20Talladega County Provisional4.2+0.8 pts
22Bullock County Provisional4.1+0.3 pts
22Pike County Provisional4.1+0.7 pts
24Calhoun County Provisional4+0.7 pts
24Dale County Provisional4+0.8 pts
24Montgomery County Provisional4+0.7 pts
27Colbert County Provisional3.9+0.5 pts
27Crenshaw County Provisional3.9+0.9 pts
27Lauderdale County Provisional3.9+0.6 pts
27Winston County Provisional3.9+0.7 pts
31Jefferson County Provisional3.8+0.7 pts
31Marion County Provisional3.8+0.4 pts
31Tuscaloosa County Provisional3.8+0.5 pts
34Etowah County Provisional3.7+0.7 pts
34Jackson County Provisional3.7+0.4 pts
34Randolph County Provisional3.7+0.2 pts
34Tallapoosa County Provisional3.7+0.7 pts
38Cherokee County Provisional3.6+0.7 pts
38Covington County Provisional3.6+0.6 pts
38Fayette County Provisional3.6+0.9 pts
38Houston County Provisional3.6+0.7 pts
38Lamar County Provisional3.6+0.5 pts
43Coosa County Provisional3.5+0.5 pts
43Franklin County Provisional3.5+0.6 pts
43Washington County Provisional3.50 pts
46Geneva County Provisional3.4+0.7 pts
46Walker County Provisional3.4+0.5 pts
48Coffee County Provisional3.3+0.6 pts
48Henry County Provisional3.3+0.4 pts
50Autauga County Provisional3.2+0.7 pts
50Bibb County Provisional3.2+0.4 pts
50DeKalb County Provisional3.2+0.8 pts
50Lawrence County Provisional3.2+0.6 pts
50Lee County Provisional3.2+0.5 pts
50St. Clair County Provisional3.2+0.8 pts
56Baldwin County Provisional3.1+0.5 pts
56Chilton County Provisional3.1+0.5 pts
56Cleburne County Provisional3.1+0.5 pts
56Cullman County Provisional3.1+0.5 pts
60Elmore County Provisional3+0.7 pts
60Madison County Provisional3+0.5 pts
62Blount County Provisional2.9+0.5 pts
62Limestone County Provisional2.9+0.5 pts
62Marshall County Provisional2.9+0.4 pts
62Morgan County Provisional2.9+0.5 pts
66Chambers County Provisional2.80 pts
66Shelby County Provisional2.8+0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Perry County, with 7% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Shelby County, with 2.8% in August 2026.

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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Alabama: more rankings