Counties in Alabama by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in December 2025, at 5%. Shelby County had the lowest, at 1.8%. The median was 2.4% and the figure for Alabama was 2.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest5Perry County
Lowest1.8Shelby County
Median2.467 counties
Alabama2.7History

Top 40 counties, December 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 5 %5Greene CountyGreene County: 4.9 %4.9Monroe CountyMonroe County: 4.8 %4.8Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 4.7 %4.7Clarke CountyClarke County: 4.1 %4.1Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 3.7 %3.7Conecuh CountyConecuh County: 3.5 %3.5Dallas CountyDallas County: 3.5 %3.5Hale CountyHale County: 3.5 %3.5Choctaw CountyChoctaw County: 3.1 %3.1Escambia CountyEscambia County: 3.1 %3.1Macon CountyMacon County: 3.1 %3.1Sumter CountySumter County: 3.1 %3.1Barbour CountyBarbour County: 2.9 %2.9Butler CountyButler County: 2.9 %2.9Marengo CountyMarengo County: 2.9 %2.9Mobile CountyMobile County: 2.9 %2.9Pickens CountyPickens County: 2.9 %2.9Russell CountyRussell County: 2.7 %2.7Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 2.6 %2.6Colbert CountyColbert County: 2.6 %2.6Jackson CountyJackson County: 2.6 %2.6Talladega CountyTalladega County: 2.6 %2.6Tallapoosa CountyTallapoosa County: 2.6 %2.6Washington CountyWashington County: 2.6 %2.6Clay CountyClay County: 2.5 %2.5Dale CountyDale County: 2.5 %2.5Lamar CountyLamar County: 2.5 %2.5Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 2.5 %2.5Marion CountyMarion County: 2.5 %2.5Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 2.5 %2.5Pike CountyPike County: 2.5 %2.5Randolph CountyRandolph County: 2.5 %2.5Bullock CountyBullock County: 2.4 %2.4Coosa CountyCoosa County: 2.4 %2.4Crenshaw CountyCrenshaw County: 2.4 %2.4Etowah CountyEtowah County: 2.4 %2.4Fayette CountyFayette County: 2.4 %2.4Houston CountyHouston County: 2.3 %2.3Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 2.3 %2.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesDecember 2025 (%)Change on December 2024
1Perry County5-0.7 pts
2Greene County4.9-2 pts
3Monroe County4.8-0.1 pts
4Wilcox County4.7-0.9 pts
5Clarke County4.1-1.3 pts
6Lowndes County3.7-0.5 pts
7Conecuh County3.5-0.6 pts
7Dallas County3.5-1.5 pts
7Hale County3.5-0.2 pts
10Choctaw County3.1-1.3 pts
10Escambia County3.1-0.5 pts
10Macon County3.1-0.7 pts
10Sumter County3.1-1.1 pts
14Barbour County2.9-0.8 pts
14Butler County2.9-0.6 pts
14Marengo County2.9-1 pts
14Mobile County2.9-0.6 pts
14Pickens County2.9-0.6 pts
19Russell County2.7-0.6 pts
20Calhoun County2.6-0.4 pts
20Colbert County2.6-0.6 pts
20Jackson County2.6-0.7 pts
20Talladega County2.6-0.5 pts
20Tallapoosa County2.6-0.5 pts
20Washington County2.6-1.1 pts
26Clay County2.5-0.5 pts
26Dale County2.5-0.7 pts
26Lamar County2.5-0.6 pts
26Lauderdale County2.5-0.4 pts
26Marion County2.5-0.8 pts
26Montgomery County2.5-0.5 pts
26Pike County2.5-0.4 pts
26Randolph County2.5-0.9 pts
34Bullock County2.4-1.2 pts
34Coosa County2.4-1.1 pts
34Crenshaw County2.4-0.7 pts
34Etowah County2.4-0.7 pts
34Fayette County2.4-0.3 pts
39Houston County2.3-0.7 pts
39Jefferson County2.3-0.5 pts
39Tuscaloosa County2.3-0.2 pts
39Winston County2.3-0.6 pts
43Cherokee County2.2-0.4 pts
43Covington County2.2-0.7 pts
43Franklin County2.2-0.6 pts
43Henry County2.2-0.8 pts
43Walker County2.2-0.6 pts
48Baldwin County2.1-0.5 pts
48Bibb County2.1-0.7 pts
48Cleburne County2.1-0.6 pts
48Coffee County2.1-0.9 pts
48Cullman County2.1-0.4 pts
48Geneva County2.1-0.5 pts
54Autauga County2-0.5 pts
54Chilton County2-0.5 pts
54DeKalb County2-0.5 pts
54Lawrence County2-0.6 pts
54Lee County2-0.4 pts
59Blount County1.9-0.6 pts
59Chambers County1.9-0.5 pts
59Limestone County1.9-0.5 pts
59Madison County1.9-0.5 pts
59Marshall County1.9-0.4 pts
59Morgan County1.9-0.4 pts
59St. Clair County1.9-0.4 pts
66Elmore County1.8-0.5 pts
66Shelby County1.8-0.4 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 5% in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Shelby County, with 1.8% in December 2025.

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