The latest unemployment rate in metro Birmingham remains well below the national average

The unemployment rate in metro Birmingham remains around 1% lower than the national average of 2.7% for March 2024.

Last week, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the April US unemployment rate was 3.9%, unchanged from the previous month.

The statewide rate is low, increasing from 2023

Alabama’s April unemployment rate is 3.0 percent, according to the Alabama Department of Labor (ADL), which is higher than the record low of 2.1 percent in July 2023.

Most cities around metro Birmingham are below the national average, according to the latest figures. Counties around Bham metro are about a percent lower than US rates.

Here are the Alabama Department of Labor’s March 2024 area unemployment rate numbers for select cities in the Birmingham area and the 6-county Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Cities:

• Alabaster – 2.1%
• Bessemer — 4.3%
• Birmingham — 3.7%
• Home wood — 2.1%
• Hoover — 2.2%
• Vestavia — 2.0%

counties:

• Blount – 2.7%
• Chilton — 2.8%
• Jefferson County – 2.9%
• Shelby County – 2.3%
• St. Clair —2.7%

“The Birmingham metro labor market remains historically strong, with unemployment reaching 2.7% (March 2024). This is quite a bit lower than the highs of the Great Recession (peaking at 10.3%), Covid (12.2%) and slightly higher than the record low of 2.1% last year. Given the Federal Reserve’s focus on fighting inflation, having a strong workforce like this is a win for the citizens of Birmingham.”

Ben Meadows, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics, UAB Collat ​​School of Business

How does the Birmingham Metro compare to others?

Compared to other metropolitan areas in Alabama, the Birmingham-Hoover MSA is doing well. For example, the Magic City’s unemployment rate is nearly tied with Huntsville, while Mobile has the highest metro unemployment rate in Alabama at 3.9 percent

• Huntsville — 2.6%
• Gadsden – 3.5%
• Tuscaloosa — 2.9%
• Anniston/Oxford/Jacksonville — 3.3%
• Montgomery — 3.0%
• Dothan — 3.1%
• Daphne-Fairhope-Foley — 2.8%
• Mobile —3.9%

You can dive into the federal and state numbers using the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Alabama Department of Labor websites.

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