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Marengo County’s unemployment rate saw a drop between March and April of this year.

Marengo County recorded just 179 unemployed persons for April 2023, accounting for 2.3 percent of the county workforce. That number is a slight decline from the March 2023 and April 2022 figure of 2.6 percent.

On May 19, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted April unemployment rate is 2.2%, down from March’s rate of 2.3%, and below April 2022’s rate of 2.5%.

April’s rate represents 51,462 unemployed persons, a new record low, compared to 53,017 in March and 57,712 in April 2022.

“Yet again, we see the resiliency of our state’s workforce. When Alabama works, Alabama families thrive and records are broken time and time again,” said Governor Ivey. “We have a quickly growing economy, and we are leading the game when it comes to economic success. Boasting the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast, Alabama is well on its way to having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.”

The number of people in the workforce reached a new record, increasing 3,367 over the month to 2,293,022. Additionally, the number of people counted as employed reached a new record high, increasing 4,922 over the month to 2,241,560.

“Continuing this positive trend, Alabama’s employers added more than 40,000 jobs over the last year, reaching the third highest jobs count in history,” said Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington.  “Wages have yet again set a new record high, rising by more than $30 a week since last month alone.  More money in the pockets of Alabamians is always a good thing.”

All 67 counties experienced unemployment rate drops, including neighboring counties such as Wilcox and Clarke.

Sumter County’s unemployment rate fell from 2.7 percent in March 2023 to 2.5 percent in April 2023. Wilcox, Greene, and Clarke county had the highest unemployment rates at 6.0 percent, 4.0 percent and 3.7 percent respectively.

Hale County’s unemployment rate fell from 2.7 percent in March to 2.3 percent in April. Dallas County’s rate fell from 4.1 percent in March, to 3.5 percent in April. Choctaw County’s rate remained as it was at 3.0 percent, and Perry County dropped from 4.0 percent to 3.4 percent.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 1.3%, Morgan, Marshall, Madison and Cullman Counties at 1.4% and St. Clair, Limestone, Lawrence, Elmore and Blount Counties at 1.5%.