Birmingham metro area ranks 1st in U.S. with lowest unemployment rate with population over 1M+

Birmingham
Birmingham skyline from Railroad Park (Pat Byington/Bham Now)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Birmingham-Hoover Metro Area is tied with Miami, Florida with the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. among metro areas with over one million residents.

The ranking is based on the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more in the month of February 2023.

The Birmingham metro area’s unemployment rate is 2.2%.

Leading the Way

Homewood
Homewood City Hall. (Homewood government Facebook page)

In a statement released by Governor Kay Ivey in March, five of the seven major cities in Alabama with the lowest unemployment rate reside in Jefferson and Shelby counties. They are:

  • Homewood — 1.5%, 
  • Trussville and Vestavia Hills —1.6%
  • Alabaster and Hoover 1.7 %.

“We take pride in having such a low unemployment rate here in Homewood,” Patrick McClusky, mayor of Homewood, told Bham Now. “The same can be said for the B’ham Metro Area, and it shows just how strong we are as a city—and looks very positive for the future of our economy.”

Huntsville Metro in top 5

Space and Rocket Center
U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. (U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Facebook)

Alabama is doing well fighting unemployment statewide. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted February unemployment rate is 2.5%, tying the all-time record low.

The Huntsville/Decatur Metro Area is ranked 5th nationally for cities under a million people with an unemployment rate of 2.0%.

“Once again, we’ve hit a record low unemployment rate,” said Governor Ivey. “While it may seem like we break these records month after month, we know that even with record low unemployment, we still have a duty to provide good, quality jobs to every Alabamian who wants one.”

Looking for a job? Bham Now regularly posts stories about jobs not in Birmingham but throughout the state. Check it out:

NOW HIRING: There are over 21K job openings in the Greater Birmingham Area—March 20

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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