The local economy of Alabama and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.4%
+0.6 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Chambers County 2.8%, highest Perry County 7.0%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,292
+3.6%vs a year ago
2,121,230 jobs at 168,681 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
21,308
+19.6%this year vs last year
Most in Madison County 4,093, Baldwin County 3,355.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+16,421
+4.5 per 1,000residents
104,560 moved in and 88,139 moved out. Most newcomers came from Georgia.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Alabama gas price
$3.99
+$1.22vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Cherokee County $3.87, highest Perry County $4.33. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Alabama, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
106K
+0.6%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.82M
+2.5%vs 2022
Largest sector: Manufacturing (14.9%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$101.0B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$55,435
Highest sector: Utilities $120,078.
Per employee per year
Share of Alabama's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 162,959 | $20,060 |
| Employment Services | 97,709 | $43,445 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 90,500 | $64,071 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 48,761 | $28,894 |
| Offices of Physicians | 39,416 | $89,642 |
| Religious Organizations | 38,265 | $24,048 |
| Grocery Stores | 37,152 | $26,541 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 35,185 | $105,187 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 34,889 | $83,855 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 33,312 | $62,024 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 32,953 | $57,063 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 26,817 | $35,588 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Alabama, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Alabama is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Alabama, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Alabama was 3.4% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.8% a year earlier. 2,282,055 people were employed out of a labor force of 2,362,622. Among its counties, Chambers County had the lowest rate (2.8%) and Perry County the highest (7.0%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Alabama was $1,292 in Q1 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier, across 2,121,230 jobs at 168,681 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 1,731 new homes in Alabama in August 2026 (1,317 single-family and 403 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 14,326, up 19.6% from the same months last year, and 21,308 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Madison County (4,093), Baldwin County (3,355), Jefferson County (2,771) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 104,560 people moved to Alabama and 88,139 moved away, a net gain of 16,421 (+4.5 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and most people who left went to Georgia, Florida, Tennessee.
Regular gasoline in Alabama averaged $3.99 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.22 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.94. Among its counties, Cherokee County had the lowest regular price ($3.87) and Perry County the highest ($4.33).
Manufacturing (272,338 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (268,162 employees), Retail Trade (238,329 employees) were the largest sectors in Alabama in 2023. In all, 105,720 business locations employed 1,822,666 people at an average pay of $55,435 a year.