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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

Unemployment data released on March 13 for January shows a slight increase for Chilton County.

In January, unemployment rose to 2.3%. It had been 1.8% in December 2022, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. There were 19,560 employed in the county in January with 453 people counted as unemployed.

At the state level, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained 2.6%.

“I’m proud to kick off 2023 with a continuation of Alabama’s lowest ever unemployment rate,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press release. “We have been enjoying a period of low unemployment, high wages and high jobs count for some time now, and I believe that more is yet to come. We will not back down on our commitment to continue to bring quality, high-paying jobs to Alabama.”

However, a positive increase was seen in wages being earned.

“Total private wages increased by $30.12/weekly over the year to $1,008.61 in January, marking the third highest weekly wages in history,” the release stated.

Shelby County continues to be the county with the lowest unemployment rate at 1.8%. Morgan county is a close second at 2%. Wilcox County has the highest unemployment rate at 8.8%.