Counties in Alabama by unemployment rate

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate of 67 counties in July 2026, at 7.1%. Shelby County had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 3.9% and the figure for Alabama was 3.4%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7.1Perry County
Lowest2.9Shelby County
Median3.967 counties
Alabama3.4History

Top 40 counties, July 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Perry CountyPerry County: 7.1 %7.1Greene CountyGreene County: 6.7 %6.7Monroe CountyMonroe County: 6.5 %6.5Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 6.2 %6.2Clarke CountyClarke County: 6 %6Dallas CountyDallas County: 5.7 %5.7Sumter CountySumter County: 5.7 %5.7Conecuh CountyConecuh County: 5.6 %5.6Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 5.6 %5.6Hale CountyHale County: 5.4 %5.4Macon CountyMacon County: 5.4 %5.4Choctaw CountyChoctaw County: 5.2 %5.2Barbour CountyBarbour County: 4.8 %4.8Pickens CountyPickens County: 4.8 %4.8Butler CountyButler County: 4.6 %4.6Marengo CountyMarengo County: 4.6 %4.6Escambia CountyEscambia County: 4.5 %4.5Russell CountyRussell County: 4.5 %4.5Mobile CountyMobile County: 4.4 %4.4Bullock CountyBullock County: 4.3 %4.3Pike CountyPike County: 4.3 %4.3Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 4.2 %4.2Clay CountyClay County: 4.2 %4.2Dale CountyDale County: 4.2 %4.2Talladega CountyTalladega County: 4.2 %4.2Crenshaw CountyCrenshaw County: 4.1 %4.1Lauderdale CountyLauderdale County: 4.1 %4.1Tuscaloosa CountyTuscaloosa County: 4.1 %4.1Winston CountyWinston County: 4.1 %4.1Lamar CountyLamar County: 4 %4Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 4 %4Randolph CountyRandolph County: 4 %4Colbert CountyColbert County: 3.9 %3.9Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.9 %3.9Marion CountyMarion County: 3.9 %3.9Tallapoosa CountyTallapoosa County: 3.9 %3.9Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 3.8 %3.8Etowah CountyEtowah County: 3.8 %3.8Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.8 %3.8Covington CountyCovington County: 3.7 %3.7
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1Perry County7.1-0.3 pts
2Greene County6.7+0.4 pts
3Monroe County6.5+1.8 pts
4Wilcox County6.2+0.4 pts
5Clarke County6+0.9 pts
6Dallas County5.7+0.9 pts
6Sumter County5.7+0.5 pts
8Conecuh County5.6+1.3 pts
8Lowndes County5.6+0.6 pts
10Hale County5.4+0.9 pts
10Macon County5.4+0.4 pts
12Choctaw County5.2+1.2 pts
13Barbour County4.8+1 pts
13Pickens County4.8+0.6 pts
15Butler County4.6+0.9 pts
15Marengo County4.6+0.8 pts
17Escambia County4.5+0.9 pts
17Russell County4.5+0.8 pts
19Mobile County4.4+0.8 pts
20Bullock County4.3+0.4 pts
20Pike County4.3+0.6 pts
22Calhoun County4.2+0.7 pts
22Clay County4.2+1.5 pts
22Dale County4.2+0.9 pts
22Talladega County4.2+1 pts
26Crenshaw County4.1+1 pts
26Lauderdale County4.1+0.6 pts
26Tuscaloosa County4.1+0.3 pts
26Winston County4.1+1.1 pts
30Lamar County4+0.8 pts
30Montgomery County4+0.7 pts
30Randolph County4-1.6 pts
33Colbert County3.9+0.5 pts
33Jackson County3.9+0.4 pts
33Marion County3.9+0.6 pts
33Tallapoosa County3.9+0.8 pts
37Cherokee County3.8+0.7 pts
37Etowah County3.8+0.6 pts
37Jefferson County3.8+0.7 pts
40Covington County3.7+0.4 pts
40Fayette County3.7+0.8 pts
40Houston County3.7+0.8 pts
40Washington County3.7+0.4 pts
44Walker County3.6+0.7 pts
45Coffee County3.5+0.6 pts
45Coosa County3.5+0.6 pts
45Franklin County3.5+0.6 pts
45Geneva County3.5+0.8 pts
49Bibb County3.4+0.7 pts
49Cleburne County3.4+0.7 pts
49Henry County3.4+0.5 pts
49Lawrence County3.4+0.8 pts
49Lee County3.4+0.4 pts
54Autauga County3.3+0.8 pts
54Cullman County3.3+0.7 pts
54DeKalb County3.3+0.7 pts
57Chilton County3.2+0.5 pts
57Madison County3.2+0.7 pts
57St. Clair County3.2+0.8 pts
60Baldwin County3.1+0.6 pts
60Elmore County3.1+0.7 pts
60Marshall County3.1+0.5 pts
63Blount County3+0.6 pts
63Limestone County3+0.6 pts
63Morgan County3+0.5 pts
66Chambers County2.9-0.2 pts
66Shelby County2.9+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 7.1% in July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Shelby County, with 2.9% in July 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