May 17—Morgan County had the second lowest unemployment rate in the state in April and Lawrence and Limestone counties were not far behind, according to data released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor.

Morgan County’s rate was 2.1%, up from 1.4% a year ago but down from the March rate of 2.5%. Only Shelby County, at 2%, had a lower unemployment rate in April. The city of Decatur also had a 2.1% rate in April.

Limestone County’s April rate was 2.3%, up from 1.5% a year ago and down from the March rate of 2.6%. The city of Athens had a 2.1% rate in April.

In Lawrence County, the April unemployment rate was 2.4%, up from the year-ago rate of 1.5% but down from the March rate of 2.7%.

Statewide the seasonally adjusted April unemployment rate was 3.1%. Mot seasonally adjusted, and thus comparable to the county rates, the statewide rate in April was 2.6%.

The number of people employed in Alabama increased by 20,117 over the year to a new record high of 2,263,393. The civilian labor force also reached a new record high, increasing to 2,335,450, with 40,170 more people joining over the year.

Alabama’s April labor force participation rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 57.5%. The percentage of prime-age workers increased by o.2 percentage points over the month to 79.1%. Over the year, this number increased by 1.7 percentage points from 77.4%. Prime-age workers are those aged 25-54 years.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435