Counties in Alabama by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in January 2026, at 6.6%. Shelby County had the lowest, at 2.3%. The median was 3.1% and the figure for Alabama was 2.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest6.6Perry County
Lowest2.3Shelby County
Median3.167 counties
Alabama2.7History

Top 40 counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 6.6 %6.6Greene CountyGreene County: 6.4 %6.4Monroe CountyMonroe County: 6.2 %6.2Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 6 %6Clarke CountyClarke County: 5.5 %5.5Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 4.9 %4.9Conecuh CountyConecuh County: 4.5 %4.5Hale CountyHale County: 4.4 %4.4Dallas CountyDallas County: 4.3 %4.3Choctaw CountyChoctaw County: 4.1 %4.1Escambia CountyEscambia County: 4.1 %4.1Sumter CountySumter County: 4 %4Barbour CountyBarbour County: 3.9 %3.9Macon CountyMacon County: 3.9 %3.9Butler CountyButler County: 3.8 %3.8Marengo CountyMarengo County: 3.8 %3.8Mobile CountyMobile County: 3.8 %3.8Pickens CountyPickens County: 3.7 %3.7Lamar CountyLamar County: 3.5 %3.5Russell CountyRussell County: 3.5 %3.5Washington CountyWashington County: 3.5 %3.5Colbert CountyColbert County: 3.4 %3.4Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.4 %3.4Tallapoosa CountyTallapoosa County: 3.4 %3.4Dale CountyDale County: 3.3 %3.3Fayette CountyFayette County: 3.3 %3.3Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 3.3 %3.3Pike CountyPike County: 3.3 %3.3Randolph CountyRandolph County: 3.3 %3.3Talladega CountyTalladega County: 3.3 %3.3Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 3.2 %3.2Clay CountyClay County: 3.2 %3.2Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 3.2 %3.2Bullock CountyBullock County: 3.1 %3.1Coosa CountyCoosa County: 3.1 %3.1Crenshaw CountyCrenshaw County: 3.1 %3.1Marion CountyMarion County: 3.1 %3.1Winston CountyWinston County: 3.1 %3.1Covington CountyCovington County: 3 %3Etowah CountyEtowah County: 3 %3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Perry County6.6+0.1 pts
2Greene County6.4-2.6 pts
3Monroe County6.2+0.5 pts
4Wilcox County6-0.8 pts
5Clarke County5.5-0.9 pts
6Lowndes County4.9-0.2 pts
7Conecuh County4.5-0.2 pts
8Hale County4.4-0.2 pts
9Dallas County4.3-1.6 pts
10Choctaw County4.1-1.3 pts
10Escambia County4.1-0.1 pts
12Sumter County4-0.6 pts
13Barbour County3.9-0.2 pts
13Macon County3.9-0.5 pts
15Butler County3.8-0.3 pts
15Marengo County3.8-0.7 pts
15Mobile County3.8-0.3 pts
18Pickens County3.7-0.9 pts
19Lamar County3.5-0.4 pts
19Russell County3.5-0.5 pts
19Washington County3.5-0.5 pts
22Colbert County3.4-0.5 pts
22Jackson County3.4-0.5 pts
22Tallapoosa County3.4-0.3 pts
25Dale County3.3-0.5 pts
25Fayette County3.3+0.1 pts
25Montgomery County3.3-0.3 pts
25Pike County3.3-0.4 pts
25Randolph County3.3-0.4 pts
25Talladega County3.3-0.4 pts
31Calhoun County3.2-0.4 pts
31Clay County3.2-0.4 pts
31Lauderdale County3.2-0.3 pts
34Bullock County3.1-0.9 pts
34Coosa County3.1-0.7 pts
34Crenshaw County3.1-0.6 pts
34Marion County3.1-0.6 pts
34Winston County3.1-0.6 pts
39Covington County3-0.5 pts
39Etowah County3-0.6 pts
39Houston County3-0.4 pts
39Jefferson County3-0.3 pts
39Tuscaloosa County3-0.1 pts
44DeKalb County2.9-0.1 pts
44Henry County2.9-0.7 pts
44Walker County2.9-0.4 pts
47Cherokee County2.8-0.3 pts
47Franklin County2.8-0.4 pts
47Geneva County2.8-0.5 pts
50Bibb County2.7-0.7 pts
50Cleburne County2.7-0.5 pts
50Coffee County2.7-0.5 pts
50Cullman County2.7-0.2 pts
54Baldwin County2.6-0.5 pts
54Marshall County2.6-0.1 pts
56Autauga County2.5-0.4 pts
56Chambers County2.5-0.3 pts
56Chilton County2.5-0.6 pts
56Lawrence County2.5-0.5 pts
56Lee County2.5-0.3 pts
56Limestone County2.5-0.2 pts
56Madison County2.5-0.3 pts
56Morgan County2.5-0.3 pts
56St. Clair County2.5-0.2 pts
65Blount County2.4-0.5 pts
66Elmore County2.3-0.5 pts
66Shelby County2.3-0.3 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 6.6% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Shelby County, with 2.3% in January 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