Department of Numbers

Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Birmingham fell 0.2 percentage points in February 2021 to 3.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the Alabama rate. The unemployment rate in Birmingham peaked in April 2020 at 12.5% and is now 8.9 percentage points lower. You can also compare Birmingham unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.2% -0.1 +2.7
Alabama 4.0% -0.3 +1.4
Birmingham 3.6% -0.2 +1.2
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with February 2021 data as March metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Birmingham, Alabama, National

Birmingham, Alabama monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Birmingham, Alabama Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Birmingham peaked in April 2020 at 68,393. There are now 48,210 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Birmingham employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Birmingham, Alabama) is also available.

Unemployed Persons February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
Birmingham 20,183 -1,198 +6,897

Number of Unemployed Persons

Birmingham, Alabama Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Alabama
Unemployment Rate		 Birmingham
Unemployment Rate		 Birmingham
Unemployed
March
2021		 6.0% — — —
February
2021		 6.2% 4.0% 3.6% 20,183
January
2021		 6.3% 4.3% 3.8% 21,381
December
2020		 6.7% 4.7% 4.1% 22,486
November
2020		 6.7% 4.7% 4.2% 23,256
October
2020		 6.9% 4.7% 5.4% 29,782
September
2020		 7.8% 6.7% 6.5% 35,983
August
2020		 8.4% 7.1% 5.4% 29,972
July
2020		 10.2% 7.4% 7.7% 42,002
June
2020		 11.1% 7.7% 7.2% 38,996
May
2020		 13.3% 7.9% 9.0% 50,357
April
2020		 14.8% 13.2% 12.5% 68,393

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩

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