Employment in Alabama’s largest counties showed mixed results from March 2024 to March 2025, according to new data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report highlights that out of the seven largest counties in the state, three experienced employment growth during this period.
Victoria G. Lee, Regional Commissioner for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, stated, “Baldwin County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 2.1 percent.”
The data shows Jefferson County recorded the highest employment among large counties at 365,200 jobs as of March 2025. These seven major counties represented more than half—55.7 percent—of all covered employment in Alabama during the quarter. For comparison, across the country’s 372 largest counties, they make up approximately 73.4 percent of total covered U.S. employment.
Wages also saw increases in all six large Alabama counties with published wage data for this period. “Jefferson had the largest increase (+5.4 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other five Alabama large counties ranged from 3.4 percent to 0.7 percent,” Lee reported.
Despite these increases, weekly wages across all large Alabama counties remained below the national average of $1,589 per week for this period. Madison County reported an average weekly wage of $1,514—the highest among large Alabama counties—while Baldwin County posted $996 as its average.
For smaller Alabama counties (those with fewer than 75,000 employees), wage and employment levels were also documented though year-over-year changes were not included for these areas in this release. Of these smaller counties, Washington led with an average weekly wage of $1,886; Geneva recorded the lowest at $825.
Across all 67 Alabama counties:
– Fifteen reported average weekly wages below $925,
– Twenty-one ranged from $925 to $999,
– Twelve fell between $1,000 and $1,074,
– Six ranged from $1,075 to $1,149,
– Thirteen reported averages at or above $1,150 per week.
Additional tables and charts accompanying this release provide detailed breakdowns by county size and geographic area within Alabama.
The next scheduled release covering second quarter 2025 is set for December 3, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., according to officials.
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