Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Chilton County’s unemployment rate held steady in October from September, but its number of persons counted as employed grew according to the latest information released by the Alabama Department of Labor.

Chilton County’s unemployment rate in October is 2.7%, which is the same as it was in September, but it is higher than last year’s October rate of 2.1%. Those rates present 569 unemployed persons in October, 554 in September and 433 in October 2023. Despite the rates, Chilton has a higher number of employed persons in October than in September or October 2023. Chilton had 20,336 employed persons in October, 20,111 in September and 20,169 in October 2023.

Chilton sits in the group with the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the state, and is joined by Blount, Cherokee, Cullman, Elmore, and St. Clair Counties. Counties in Alabama with the lowest unemployment rates are nearby Shelby County at 2.4%, the state’s lowest rate, followed by Marshall County right behind with a 2.5% rate and Madison and Morgan Counties at 2.6%. Counties with the highest employment rates are Wilcox County at 7.7%, Clarke County at 6.1% and Greene County at 5.9%. County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Alabama’s labor force participation rate for October increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 57.6%. The percentage of prime-age workers, those aged 25-54 years, decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point to 79.1% over the month. However, in 2024, that number has increased by a full percentage point to 78.1%.

“This month we experienced a slight increase in our labor force participation rate.  Any growth is always welcome news,” Marty Redden, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary, said. “Additionally, the year over year growth of prime age workers is also encouraging. Nearly 80% of those prime age workers are out there doing their jobs and providing for their families.”

Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 2.9%, the same as it was in September. However, it is slightly higher than last year’s October rate of 2.8%. Those rates represent 69,271 unemployed persons in Alabama in October compared to 67,395 in September and 64,027 in October 2023. Alabama’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 3.1%. Alabama ranks below the national unemployment rate that sits at 4.1% in October, and is seasonally adjusted.

“While Alabama employers continue to add jobs at record high rates, we’re also seeing wage growth, which is beneficial to our entire economy,” Redden said. “We are currently supporting more jobs than ever before, and our hard-working citizens have seen their average weekly wages increase over the year by nearly $25 a week.”

Alabama set a new record high of persons being counted as employed in the state as it grew 18,840 over the year to 2,280,863. The civilian labor force also reached a new record high with 24,084 more people joining over the year, creating a new total of 2,350,134.