The unemployment rate in Limestone County made a significant drop from April to May.

According to figures released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor, the county went from an unemployment rate of 11.5% to 7.3% in just one month.

By comparison, the state of Alabama dropped from a 13.8% figure down to 9.9% over the same time period.

“This month’s decrease in the unemployment rate reflects that people are returning to work following the pandemic-related shutdown,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “While we are nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, a monthly decrease of nearly four percentage points is certainly a positive.”

Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said employment rose in the state by 128,300 from April to May.

“While we are still far short of last year’s economic markers, we did show significant improvement over the last month,” Washington said.

Locally, 2,204 people found employment during that span. The civilian labor force in Limestone County came in at 42,971 for May.

A total of 3,156 people are still listed as unemployed in Limestone County as of the latest figures.

“Alabama, along with the rest of the nation, will be feeling the impacts brought on by (coronavirus) for months to come,” Ivey said. “My administration is committed to helping return Alabamians to their jobs safely, and to helping Alabama businesses to reopen and grow.”

Statewide, May’s rate represents 221,811 unemployed persons, compared to 302,535 in April and 68,057 in May 2019.

Wilcox County had the highest unemployment rate in May at 19.3%. Clay County posted the lowest rate for May at 5.6%.

Madison posted one of the lowest unemployment rates for a city at 6.2%, compared to 5.2% for Vestavia Hills, the city with the lowest number.