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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

While the unemployment rate for Alabama stayed the same, it did increase in Chilton County as information was released by the Alabama Department of Labor on Sept. 20. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 2.8% in August was the same in July. It did increase from August 2023’s rate of 2.5%. Those rates represent 66,619 unemployed persons in August, 66,566 in July and 58,570 in August 2023. The state’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate sits at 3.4%.

Chilton County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.1% in August up from 2.9% in July, and it is also higher than the rate of 2.5% in August 2023. Those rates represent 651 unemployed persons in Chilton County in August, 607 in July and 519 in August 2023. County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted before being recorded.

Despite the rates climbing since last August, Chilton County has more people employed and a part of its civilian labor force this August than last. Chilton County has 20,672 people in its civilian labor force this August compared to 20,485 last August, and also has 20,021 people counted as employed this August to 19,946 in August of 2023.

Chilton County still sits as one of the lowest unemployment rates in Alabama. It sits behind Shelby County that has the lowest unemployment rate in Alabama at 2.6%, followed by Morgan and Madison Counties at 2.8%. The next group is at 2.9% that includes Cullman, Elmore, Limestone, Marshall and St. Clair Counties. Counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County at 8.9%, Perry County at 6.9% and Clarke County at 6.4%.

Alabama’s labor force participation rate across the state remained unchanged in August at 57.5%. However, the percentage of prime-age workers, those 25-54 years old, increased by a small margin up just one-tenth to 79.4% from July to August. This year, that number has grown in Alabama overall from 77.8% at the start of the year.

“Prime age workers are continuing to do their part here in Alabama,” Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary, said. “Each month, we move closer and closer to 80 percent of this population either working or looking for work. This is also reflected in our civilian labor force population increasing to a new record high, along with the number of people who are employed.”

The number of people counted as employed in the state increased by 19,816 in 2024 to a new record high of 2,276,999. The civil labor force for the state also reached a record high at 2,342,618 with 27,865 more people joining in 2024.