Income

Alabama vs California: Unemployment Rate

Alabama has a lower unemployment rate than California.

Alabama

AL · South

Winner

2.7%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

California

CA · West

5.5%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

Visual comparison

Alabama2.7%

California5.5%

Difference: 2.80 percentage points — Alabama leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for unemployment rate.

Alabama #5 · 2.7%

California #50 · 5.5%

Best Worst

10 Best States — Unemployment Rate

Lower is better

Hawaii

2.2%

South Dakota

2.2%

North Dakota

2.6%

Vermont

2.6%

Alabama

2.7%

Nebraska

3.0%

New Hampshire

3.1%

Wisconsin

3.1%

Maine

3.2%

#10

Mississippi

3.4%

Selected states

#50

California

5.5%

Alabama ranks 5th and California ranks 50th nationally for unemployment rate.

Related context

Jobs Picture

Unemployment is one signal — the employment ratio and job growth round out the full picture.

MetricAlabamaCalifornia

Employment / Pop. Ratio 55.8% 60.2% Job Growth 0.5% -0.1% Median Household Income $54,943 $84,097 Poverty Rate 15.6% 12.0%

What this means