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By ZACHARY SEIFTER/ Staff Writer

 

The unemployment rate in Chilton County as well as the whole state of Alabama fell in the month of July.

Following a slight increase in the month of June to 3.1%, the unemployment rate dropped to 2.8% in the month of July in Chilton County.

The rate for the state was 3.3% in June but fell to 3.2% in July.

These numbers are a significant decrease from what was seen in 2020. In July of 2020, the unemployment rate in Chilton County was 6.5%. The state unemployment rate in July 2020 was 7.4%.

“Each month, we edge closer and closer to our pre-pandemic unemployment rate,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press release. “Employers have added over 73,000 jobs in the past year, and nearly 83,000 more people are working today than they were last year. Industries that were hit the hardest are seeing employment numbers increase monthly. We’ll keep working as hard as we can to continue this remarkable progress.”

Private weekly average earnings hit a record high in the month of July at $986.29. That is up $64.16 from where it was a year ago and $20.46 from where it was a month ago.

The sector that saw the greatest progress in this area was the leisure and hospitality sector, which saw a record high in weekly wages at $402.98, which is $51.56 more than a year ago and $13.37 more than a month ago.