Employment in three of Alabama’s seven largest counties rose between March 2024 and March 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee stated that Baldwin County experienced the highest increase, with employment growing by 2.1 percent over the year.
Jefferson County recorded the highest level of employment among Alabama’s largest counties, with 365,200 jobs as of March 2025. The combined total for these seven counties made up 55.7 percent of all covered employment in Alabama. On a national scale, the 372 largest counties accounted for 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States.
All six large Alabama counties with available wage data reported increases in average weekly wages during this period. Jefferson County saw the most significant rise at 5.4 percent, while increases in other large counties ranged from 3.4 percent to 0.7 percent.
Despite these gains, average weekly wages in each large county remained below the national average of $1,589 per week. Madison County had the highest average among them at $1,514 per week; Baldwin County had the lowest at $996.
For smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—employment and wage levels were also published but did not include year-over-year changes. Among these, Washington County reported the highest average weekly wage at $1,886; Geneva County posted the lowest at $825.
Across all Alabama counties, fifteen reported an average weekly wage below $925; twenty-one fell between $925 and $999; twelve ranged from $1,000 to $1,074; six were between $1,075 and $1,149; and thirteen had wages at or above $1,150.
Additional details on state-level QCEW data are included in table three of this release.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish its next report on county employment and wages for second quarter 2025 on December 3, 2025.
“Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Baldwin County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 2.1 percent.”
