Tuscaloosa Metro Unemployment Improves To 3.9% In December '20

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Tuscaloosa metropolitan area saw unemployment totals continue to improve month-over-month in December, according to preliminary data released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor.

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Countywide, unemployment fell to 3.9% in December from 4.2% in November, with its civilian labor force listed at 102,719 people. The city of Tuscaloosa also saw a boost, as its unemployment dropped to 4.7% last month from 5.0% in November.

However, despite gains from the pandemic induced economic crisis, unemployment is still substantially higher than this time last year when unemployment was at 2.6% for the city.

The entire Tuscaloosa metropolitan area reported numbers in line with trends for the county seat and county, improving to 4.1% in December from 4.4% the previous month. The metro logged a civilian labor force of 116,579 in December, with 4,731 of those out of work.

The city of Northport, the 21st largest city in the state and second-largest in Tuscaloosa County, reported unemployment of 3.2%, signaling an improvement from November's 3.7%.

Northport's labor force came in at 13,547 in November, down slightly from December as 430 people were listed as being out of work in the city.

The state of Alabama followed a similar trend, with its unemployment coming in at 3.9% for December, which is down from November's revised 4.4% and considerably lower than the national unemployment rate 6.7%.

Improving unemployment fortunes in Alabama were also announced on the same day President Joe Biden signed another round of executive orders, one of which specifically aims to curb hunger for millions of Americans impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Patch reported on Friday that one executive order will increase the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program by 15%. The program currently allows low-income families to receive up to $5.70 per child for each day of school meals missed due to COVID-related closures. The order would reportedly give a family of three children more than $100 in extra benefits every two months.

Biden also signed an executive order expanding eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides funds for low-income families to buy food. Patch reported the expansion would help the program reach an additional 12 million people.

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