Cherokee County’s unemployment rate has dropped yet again with April’s rate coming in at just 3.2%.  That’s down from 3.6% the previous month. 

A number of surrounding counties also saw an improvement this month, even though rates are slightly up statewide.  DeKalb County dropped from 3.8% to 3.2; Etowah went from 4.1 to 3.6%; Calhoun from 4.4 to a flat 4.0%.  Elsewhere Blount County dropped from 3.4% to a rate of 2.9% (tied for third lowest in the state); Marshall from 3.2 to 2.8% (second lowest in the state); and at 2.4% Shelby County posted the lowest rate. 

Those tied with Blount County for the third lowest rate included: Elmore, Morgan, Madison, Lee and Tuscaloosa.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox at 7.0%, Greene and Lowndes at 6.5% and Clarke at 6.0%.

The statewide rate for April is 3.8% which represents 83,565 people being unemployed; on the flip side, more than 2.1 million people had jobs last month.