Ala. unemployment sees big dip

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's unemployment rate has taken another big drop. Gov. Robert Bentley said Friday the rate declined from 8.7 percent in November to 8.1 percent in December.

Alabama's rate has now fallen below the national rate of 8.5 percent.

Alabama's unemployment rate peaked in July at 10.0 percent and has been declining since then. It has gone down 1.7 percentage points in the last three months, which Bentley says is an unprecedented drop.

Counties with the lowest rates in December were Shelby at 5.2 percent, Coffee at 6.0 percent, and Pike and Lee at 6.4 percent.

Mobile County and Baldwin County are both below the national average as well. Mobile County's rate is 8.4 percent, and Baldwin County's is 7.2 percent.

Eight Alabama counties remain at 11.9 percent or higher.  Those with the highest rates were Wilcox at 16.3 percent, Bullock at 13.7 percent, and Perry and Lowndes at 13.5 percent.

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