The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Alabama, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Alabama.
49. Geneva County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,760 people (347 unemployed)
49. Chambers County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,268 people (525 unemployed)
48. Baldwin County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 106,510 people (3,304 unemployed)
43. Dale County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,868 people (710 unemployed)
43. Clay County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,117 people (195 unemployed)
43. Bibb County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,982 people (284 unemployed)
43. Lawrence County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,404 people (487 unemployed)
43. Jefferson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 331,799 people (10,454 unemployed)
37. Jackson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,916 people (801 unemployed)
37. Pike County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,280 people (532 unemployed)
37. Lauderdale County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 44,553 people (1,466 unemployed)
37. Lamar County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,803 people (189 unemployed)
37. Tallapoosa County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,837 people (591 unemployed)
37. Fayette County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,550 people (214 unemployed)
29. Crenshaw County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,317 people (212 unemployed)
29. Covington County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,238 people (515 unemployed)
29. Winston County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,031 people (341 unemployed)
29. Walker County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,292 people (881 unemployed)
29. Talladega County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 37,255 people (1,252 unemployed)
29. Randolph County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,948 people (343 unemployed)
29. Houston County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 49,674 people (1,669 unemployed)
29. Montgomery County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 110,083 people (3,692 unemployed)
26. Bullock County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,791 people (174 unemployed)
26. Russell County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,188 people (875 unemployed)
26. Marion County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,123 people (474 unemployed)
22. Calhoun County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,671 people (1,733 unemployed)
22. Escambia County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,501 people (532 unemployed)
22. Coffee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,709 people (830 unemployed)
22. Pickens County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,126 people (303 unemployed)
18. Hale County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,317 people (239 unemployed)
18. Colbert County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,783 people (943 unemployed)
18. Henry County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,359 people (282 unemployed)
18. Etowah County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,180 people (1,527 unemployed)
15. Washington County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,169 people (320 unemployed)
15. Butler County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,915 people (347 unemployed)
15. Mobile County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 194,816 people (7,571 unemployed)
14. Coosa County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,631 people (186 unemployed)
13. Macon County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,879 people (326 unemployed)
12. Marengo County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,705 people (341 unemployed)
11. Conecuh County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,379 people (195 unemployed)
10. Barbour County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,147 people (373 unemployed)
9. Sumter County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,636 people (220 unemployed)
8. Choctaw County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,307 people (205 unemployed)
7. Lowndes County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,613 people (189 unemployed)
6. Perry County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,161 people (169 unemployed)
5. Monroe County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,888 people (394 unemployed)
4. Dallas County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,658 people (845 unemployed)
3. Greene County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,945 people (195 unemployed)
2. Clarke County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,839 people (536 unemployed)
1. Wilcox County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,660 people (227 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
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