MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced that three Alabama metropolitan areas have the lowest unemployment rates in the country for March 2023.

In a metro area with a population of one million or more, the Birmingham – Hoover metro area was ranked the lowest in the nation at 1.8%.

Two other state metro areas, Decatur and Huntsville, were ranked as the lowest in the country at 1.6% (tied with Rapid City, SD).

“Alabamians have been finding jobs in record numbers for many months now,” said Governor Ivey. “Therefore, it is not surprising that we are home to the lowest unemployment rates among major metropolitan areas in the nation.  Alabama workers are not only trail blazers in aerospace, automotive and agriculture industries – among others – but we are eager to enhance our quality of life. For some time, we’ve been saying ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ is open for business and the job numbers continue to bear that out.”

The rankings are compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“These rankings are just more proof of how well Alabama’s economy has recovered since the pandemic and demonstrates the dedication in our communities to offer our families good jobs,” said Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “To think that three Alabama metros beat out all the other metros in the nation is something to be really proud of, and I certainly hope that we continue this streak of achievements.”

Governor Ivey recently announced that Alabama’s state unemployment rate in March set a new record low at 2.3%.