Jobless Totals Climb Across Tuscaloosa Metro In September

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Unemployment fortunes in Tuscaloosa County saw a far from ideal uptick from August to September, according to preliminary data recently published by the Alabama Department of Labor.

ADL says Tuscaloosa County reported a jump in the number of jobless citizens from 6.2% in August to 6.8% in September, both of which are substantially higher than the 2.3% unemployment for the county in September 2019, before the economic downturn spurred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is a breakdown of county unemployment rates in the Tuscaloosa Patch coverage area.

Preliminary data shows Tuscaloosa County’s civilian labor force — which is everyone employed or actively looking for work — was at 105,046 last month, compared to 105,482 in August. The number of those currently out of work across Tuscaloosa County as of September was at 7,185, up from 6,543 the previous month.

The city of Tuscaloosa also saw its unemployment rate climb in the wrong direction by nearly a percentage point, from a revised 7.6% in August to a preliminary 8.4% in September. The rise in jobless totals saw 395 more individuals claim unemployment over the previous month within the city limits.

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The city of Northport followed a similar trend, with its labor force of 13,746, as it saw its unemployment rise from 4.8% in August to 5.4% in September — both substantially higher than the 1.6% unemployment reported in September 2019.

The combined unemployment figures resulted in the Tuscaloosa metropolitan area’s unemployment jumping to 7% for September, compared to 6.3% in August.

The state of Alabama's unemployment rate also rose by a percentage point to 6.6%, while the national unemployment rate actually improved to 7.9% in September from 8.4% in August.