Mobile's jobless rate was 4.5% in September, up from 3.9% a year earlier and now above the U.S. rate. The city has 1,680 fewer residents working than in 2025.
Mobile’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in September, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down slightly from 4.6% in August, but up from 3.9% in September 2025.
The city is now above the national rate. The U.S. rate was 4% in September, on the same not seasonally adjusted basis. A year ago Mobile was below it: 3.9% against 4.3% for the nation.
The numbers
The BLS counted 4,196 Mobile residents as unemployed in September. That is 124 fewer than in August but 549 more than a year earlier.
| Mobile | September 2025 | August 2026 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.5% |
| Unemployed | 3,647 | 4,320 | 4,196 |
| Employed | 90,861 | 88,991 | 89,181 |
| Labor force | 94,508 | 93,311 | 93,377 |
The number of Mobile residents with jobs rose by 190 from August. It is still 1,680 lower than in September 2025.
The labor force has shrunk too, by 1,131 people over the year. So fewer residents are working, and fewer are working or looking for work.
Higher each September
Mobile’s September rate has risen three years running:
- September 2023: 3.4%
- September 2024: 3.7%
- September 2025: 3.9%
- September 2026: 4.5%
This year the rate fell to 3.5% in April, then jumped to 4.7% in June, its highest month of 2026 so far. It was 4.6% in July and August before September’s 4.5%.
The BLS published no October 2025 figure. Its Mobile County series says the data is unavailable because of the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations.
How Mobile compares
Mobile County as a whole was at 4.3% in September, down from 4.4% in August and up from 3.7% a year earlier, according to the BLS county series. The county counted 7,901 residents as unemployed.
Elsewhere in the region:
- Prichard, about eight miles north: 7%, according to the BLS Prichard series
- Baldwin County, across Mobile Bay: 3.3%, according to the BLS Baldwin County series
- Alabama: 3.7%, according to the BLS state series
The U.S. figure comes from the national series. All of these are not seasonally adjusted, so they compare directly. The local and state September figures are preliminary and may be revised next month.
What it means for you
If you are looking for work, there are more people competing in Mobile than a year ago. The city’s rate is now higher than the state’s and the nation’s.
Free help is available from the state’s career center in Mobile, at 515 Springhill Plaza Court. The Mobile Public Library’s listing says it offers job search help, training, veterans’ services and unemployment insurance information, and gives the phone number as 251-461-4146.
For a sense of what housing costs alongside wages, see our Mobile home prices page. New businesses opening in the city are on our new businesses page.
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