Data Desk · Alabama

Alabama unemployment rises to 3.5%, its highest since June 2021

By The Liberty Tribune Data Desk · October 26, 2026

Alabama's unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in September 2026, up from 3.4% in August, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That is the highest rate the state has recorded since June 2021, when it was also 3.5%.

Alabama now ranks 18th of 51 for the lowest rate among the 50 states and D.C., down from 15th in August.

The national rate was 4.2%, so Alabama sits 0.7 percentage points below the U.S. figure.

A year earlier, in September 2025, the state's rate was 2.8%.

Elsewhere in the East South Central division: Mississippi 3.3%, Tennessee 3.4%, Kentucky 4.7%.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, series LASST010000000000003 (seasonally adjusted), and LNS14000000 for the national rate. Rank 1 is the lowest rate; tied states share a rank. Computed by The Liberty Tribune from the published series.

Data retrieved from the BLS public API on October 26, 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.

Free to cite or republish with attribution and a link. The chart is ours and may be reused on the same terms.

More from September 2026

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• North Dakota paychecks fell 4.0% behind prices over the past year, the third-widest gap of any state
• Hawaii paychecks beat prices by 5.5% over the past year, the most of any state
• New Mexico paychecks beat prices by 2.9% over the past year, the second-most of any state
• Texas paychecks beat prices by 2.3% over the past year, the third-most of any state
• Government payrolls shrank in 33 of 50 states over the past year