Employment in three of Alabama’s seven largest counties increased between March 2024 and March 2025, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Baldwin County saw the highest growth among these, with employment rising by 2.1 percent.
Jefferson County recorded the highest employment figure among large Alabama counties, with 365,200 jobs as of March 2025. The seven largest counties made up 55.7 percent of all covered employment in Alabama during this period. On a national scale, the largest 372 counties accounted for about 73.4 percent of total covered employment across the United States.
All six large Alabama counties with available data reported increases in average weekly wages over the year. Jefferson County led with a wage increase of 5.4 percent, while other large counties posted gains ranging from 3.4 percent to 0.7 percent.
Despite these increases, average weekly wages in all large Alabama counties remained below the national average of $1,589 per week. Madison County had the highest average weekly wage among them at $1,514; Baldwin County had the lowest at $996.
Data on employment and wage levels are also available for Alabama’s smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees in 2024—though only wage levels (not annual changes) are published for these areas. Among small counties, Washington County reported the state’s highest average weekly wage at $1,886; Geneva County reported the lowest at $825.
Of all Alabama’s 67 counties, fifteen had an average weekly wage below $925; twenty-one ranged from $925 to $999; twelve were between $1,000 and $1,074; six fell between $1,075 and $1,149; and thirteen reported an average weekly wage of $1,150 or more.
Further details on county-level employment and wages nationwide can be found in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional technical information is available through related resources on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
The next update covering second quarter data for 2025 is scheduled for release on December 3, 2025.
