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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Chilton County’s unemployment rate increased following the start of the new year, jumping to 2.8% in January, according to statistics released by the Alabama Department of Labor on March 11. That rate is up from 2.2% in December 2023, and up from 2.3% in January 2023. Those numbers represent 568 unemployed people in the county in January 2024, 456 unemployed persons in December 2023 and 457 in January 2023.

The civilian labor force and persons counted as employed also declined in Chilton County, according to the January statistics. The civilian labor force decreased from 20,564 in December 2023 to 20,332 in January 2024, and the number of employed people decreased from 20,108 in December 2023 to 19,764 in January 2024.

While the unemployment rate increased in the county, Chilton County still ranks among the lowest unemployment rates in the State of Alabama. Shelby County sits at the bottom with a 2.5% unemployment rate, the lowest in the state, followed by Morgan County at 2.6%. Autauga, Cullman, Limestone and Marshall counties sit at 2.7% before the group at 2.8% with Chilton County comes into the rankings. Wilcox County has the highest unemployment rate in the state at 10.5%, followed by Greene County at 7.3% and Clarke County at 7.1%.

“We saw over-the-year job growth of more than 38,000,” Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary, said in a press release. “This means that employers are continuing to create new jobs and are filling those positions with hard working Alabamians. We look forward to more positive growth during 2024.”

Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment for January 2024 also increased, going up to 2.9% from 2.8% the month before. It is also higher than it was the previous year in January when it was 2.4%. The rate represents 66,591 unemployed people in the state in January 2024, 64,101 in December 2023 and 53,887 in January 2023. The not seasonally adjusted rates stand at 3.4% in January 2024, 2.7% in December 2023 and 2.6% in January 2023.

The state’s labor force participation rate for January 2024 stood unchanged from the month before at 57.4%, and it gained 43,861 more people joining in 2023 to reach 2,327,861 overall.

The number of people counted as employed in Alabama increased by 31,157 to 2,261,270 as well, and the wage and salary employment increased by 38,300 people to 2,166,500. Gains in the government, private education and health and manufacturing sectors were seen.