Franklin jobless rate falls to 2.4%

MONTGOMERY — The unemployment rate in Franklin County dropped considerably in April, falling to 2.4%, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor.

That figure is a decrease from 3% in March, according to labor statistics. However, it is equal to a year ago, when the April 2024 rate was 2.4%.

The figures are compiled by the Alabama Department of Labor in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nearby, the Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Lauderdale and Colbert counties, saw an April rate of 2.9%.

That is down from 3.5% in March but up from 2.5% in April 2024.

Broken down by county, the April unemployment rate was 2.9% in Lauderdale County and 3% in Colbert County.

The bureau also provides rates for selected cities, including Florence, where it was 3.1% in April.

April marked the 46th straight month with the Shoals unemployment rate below 4%, in a streak that began after the rate was 4.2% in July 2021.

Franklin County traditionally has had lower unemployment rates throughout that stretch.

The Shoals unemployment rate in April was tied with the Gadsden for eighth lowest among Alabama’s 12 metropolitan statistical areas, according to the data. The highest was Mobile’s at 3.4%. The Huntsville and Decatur MSAs tied for the lowest at 2.3%.

Statewide, April’s unemployment rate was 3.3% when seasonally adjusted and 2.7% when not seasonally adjusted. Nationally, the rate was 4.2% both when seasonally adjusted and when not adjusted.

Seasonal adjustment removes “influences of predictable seasonal patterns,” according to the labor bureau. Weather, harvests, holidays and school schedules are among influences it mentions.

County rates are not seasonally adjusted.