The February unemployment rate for Limestone County isn’t the lowest figure reported for the area over the past five years. But it’s close.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, Limestone County’s unemployment rate for February was 2.3%, down from 2.5% in January.

That figure matches the lowest rates posted in 2020 during the months of February and December. The only lower rates over the last five years were 2.2% in September and October and 2.1% in November and December of 2019.

Limestone was tied with Franklin for the fourth-lowest rate of any county in Alabama, with Shelby County setting the mark to beat at 2.1%.

“As COVID cases go down and vaccinations increase, we hope to see improvements in all industries,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Department of Labor secretary. “In addition, as travel picks up and thoughts turn to vacations, the leisure and hospitality industry should see their numbers looking even better.”

Athens’ unemployment rate matched the county figure for the second month in a row at 2.3%. That rate is just higher than the 2.2% posted in March and December of last year, before and after the pandemic struck. Alabaster’s 1.8% was the lowest rate across Alabama for February.

The mark to beat for the city over the last five years is 2.0%, posted in December 2019. That figure was set during winter holiday season, which is generally lower than other months, and during the state’s record-setting economic boom that occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The state of Alabama’s unemployment rate for February was 4.0%, lower than the 4.3% posted in January. By comparison, the February rate in 2020 during the economic boom was 2.6%.

“The unemployment rate continues to drop and is getting closer to the lows we enjoyed pre-pandemic,” Washington said. “While this is good news, the number of unemployed people is still higher than last year.”

Washington said the key to further reducing rates in the state is unemployment assistance, and the “Alabama Career Center System can help.”

“There are 52 locations around the state that can help the unemployed and the underemployed,” Washington said.

Locally, places like the Athens-Limestone County Family Resource Center offer career services. Visit alcfamilyresourcecenter.org for more information.