Alabama jobless rate improves, but still lags 2019 numbers

Alabama's unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% in November. That’s a big improvement from earlier in the year but still above last year's level. The preliminary, seasonally adjust rate for last month was better than October's revised rate of 5.7%. But it was still higher than the November 2019 level of 2.7%. A statement from the Alabama Department of Labor says the November rate represents 100,537 unemployed people. Cullman County had the state's lowest unemployment rate, 2.4%. Rural Wilcox County was worst in the state at 10.9%. The financial hit from COVID-19 is perhaps most visible in the increased demand on foodbanks. An APR analysis of data from the support group Feeding America says 20% of residents of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana will have difficulty in putting food on their tables by the end of the year. The largest food pantry in the Mobile reported a surge in requests for food aid, many of which were from families who were asking for help for the first time.