Alabama Q1, 2019 Employment Statistics- 129,355 employers, up 3.0% from 125,635
- 1,968,459 employees, up 1.8% from 1,934,837
- $944 average weekly wage, up 2.5% from $921
- The average weekly wage is 20.3% below the national average
- The cost of living is 10.5% below the national average
Employer & Employee Growth
In the last year, the number of employers in the state increased by 3,720, which is an increase of 3.0%. The number of employees in Alabama increased by 33,622, an increase of 1.8%. During this same period, the average weekly wage increased by $23, an increase of 2.5%.
The number of private employers increased since last years' Q1. The number of private businesses increased by 3,717 or 3.1%. Growth in private businesses in Alabama grew faster than the national average of 3.0%. The number of employees in these businesses increased since last years' Q1, increasing by 30,385 or 1.9%. The growth in employees of private businesses in Alabama was faster than the national average of 1.7%.
The average weekly wage of employees of private businesses increased since last years' Q1. The averge weekly wage increased by $25 or 2.7%. Growth in average weekly wage of employees of private businesses in Alabama grew slower than the national average of 3.0%.
Leading Sectors
Businesses by Sector
The sector with the greatest number of businesses in the state is Retail trade with 14.3% of the businesses in the state. The number of businesses in this sector increased by 1.0%. Professional services (11.0%), which increased by 3.1% and Healthcare (9.6%), which increased by 7.8%, round out the 3 largest sectors.
Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Qtly Business Change %
| Sector | Change Biz | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Information | 208 | 10.0% |
| Healthcare | 901 | 7.8% |
| Utilities | 22 | 5.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 245 | 4.9% |
| Educational services | 45 | 4.4% |
| Transport and warehousing | 160 | 4.3% |
| Waste services | 275 | 4.1% |
| Arts and entertainment | 44 | 3.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 294 | 3.1% |
| Construction | 303 | 3.1% |
| Professional services | 431 | 3.1% |
| Manufacturing | 160 | 2.9% |
| Mining and oil extraction | 8 | 2.4% |
| Agriculture and forestry | 29 | 2.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 168 | 2.0% |
| Other services | 179 | 1.8% |
| Retail trade | 177 | 1.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 67 | 0.7% |
| Company management | 1 | 0.1% |
Employees by Sector
The sector with the greatest number of employees in the state is Manufacturing with 13.7% of the employees in the state, had an increase in employees of 1.5% in the last year. Retail trade (11.6%), increased by 0.3% and Healthcare (11.0%), increased by 2.2%, round out the top 3 sectors.Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Qtly Employee Change %
| Sector | Employee Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 4,353 | 5.1% |
| Transport and warehousing | 2,842 | 4.9% |
| Mining and oil extraction | 242 | 3.9% |
| Waste services | 4,376 | 3.6% |
| Company management | 552 | 3.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 766 | 3.4% |
| Information | 580 | 2.8% |
| Professional services | 2,876 | 2.7% |
| Healthcare | 4,527 | 2.2% |
| Other services | 985 | 2.2% |
| Agriculture and forestry | 242 | 2.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,131 | 1.7% |
| Manufacturing | 3,959 | 1.5% |
| Arts and entertainment | 222 | 1.1% |
| Utilities | 152 | 1.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 528 | 0.7% |
| Retail trade | 629 | 0.3% |
| Educational services | 10 | 0.1% |
| Finance and insurance | -585 | -0.8% |
Average Weekly Wage by Sector
The sector that pays their employees the highest is Utilities paying $3,392per week compared with the state average of $936. Weekly wages in this sector rose by $214 or 6.7%. Company management ($2,345), declined by $123 or 5.0% and Mining and oil extraction ($1,763) increased by $30 or 1.7% round out the 3 largest sectors.Table: Sectors by Year-over-Year Weekly Wage Change %
| Sector | Wage Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|
| Information | $138 | 11.4% |
| Arts and entertainment | $29 | 8.2% |
| Utilities | $214 | 6.7% |
| Educational services | $42 | 6.4% |
| Construction | $45 | 4.5% |
| Waste services | $20 | 3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | $47 | 3.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | $11 | 3.6% |
| Other services | $22 | 3.1% |
| Retail trade | $16 | 3.0% |
| Agriculture and forestry | $22 | 2.9% |
| Professional services | $41 | 2.8% |
| Healthcare | $22 | 2.6% |
| Manufacturing | $27 | 2.4% |
| Transport and warehousing | $20 | 2.1% |
| Mining and oil extraction | $30 | 1.7% |
| Finance and insurance | $18 | 1.0% |
| Real estate and rental | $1 | 0.1% |
| Company management | $-123 | -5.0% |
Leading Industries
Businesses by Industry
Each broad sector is made up of specific industries. In Alabama. the industry with the most businesses is Restaurants and other eating places with 6.2% of the businesses in the state (with 7,980 employing 155,869 workers). The Restaurants and other eating places industry had 251 more businesses, an increase of 3.2% in the last year. Wholesale trade agents and brokers (4.4% of businesses) added 67 businesses, an increase of 1.2% and Gasoline stations with convenience stores (2.6% of businesses) added 96 businesses, an increase of 3.0% round out the 3 industries with the most businesses.Table: Top 7 Industries by Business Change %
| Industry | Business Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Services for the elderly and disabled | 667 | 239.9% |
| Trusts estates and agency accounts | 10 | 90.9% |
| All other food manufacturing | 10 | 83.3% |
| Carpet and rug mills | 4 | 57.1% |
| Materials recovery facilities | 4 | 44.4% |
| Other support activities for transportation | 4 | 40.0% |
| Broadcast and wireless communications equip. | 7 | 36.8% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Business Change #
| Industry | Business Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Services for the elderly and disabled | 667 | 239.9% |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 251 | 3.2% |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 107 | 9.7% |
| Software publishers | 103 | 27.9% |
| Gasoline stations with convenience stores | 96 | 3.0% |
| Temporary help services | 91 | 5.9% |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 88 | 3.7% |
Employees by Industry
Wholesale trade agents and brokers (4.4% of employees) added 67 employees, an increase of 1.2% and Gasoline stations with convenience stores (2.6% ofemployees) added 96 employees, an increase of 3.0% round out the 3 industries with the most employees.Table: Top 7 Industries by Employee Change %
| Industry | Emp Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Other support activities for transportation | 92 | 382.3% |
| Port and harbor operations | 44 | 172.4% |
| Political organizations | 106 | 169.8% |
| Power boiler and heat exchanger manufacturing | 255 | 167.1% |
| Materials recovery facilities | 43 | 114.1% |
| Footwear merchant wholesalers | 45 | 100.1% |
| Document preparation services | 158 | 75.3% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Employee Change #
| Industry | Emp Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary help services | 2,212 | 4.3% |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 1,942 | 1.3% |
| Offices of physicians | 1,259 | 3.2% |
| Aerospace product and parts manufacturing | 1,136 | 9.5% |
| Management consulting services | 809 | 8.6% |
| Couriers and express delivery services | 787 | 12.7% |
| Research and development in the physical engineering and life sciences | 775 | 12.4% |
Average Weekly Wage by Industry
Wholesale trade agents and brokers ($4) and Gasoline stations with convenience stores ($3) round out the top 3 industries. Employees in the Wholesale trade agents and brokers ($4 per week) were paid $67 more per week, an increase of 1.2% and Gasoline stations with convenience stores ($3 per week) were paid $96 more per week, an increase of 3.0% round out the 3 industries that pay their employees the most.Table: Top 7 Industries by Wage Change %
| Industry | Wkly Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Coal and other mineral merchant wholesalers | $1,271 | 62.1% |
| Motion picture and video production | $532 | 62.0% |
| Office equipment rental and leasing | $368 | 59.5% |
| Navigational services to shipping | $728 | 57.8% |
| Television broadcasting | $824 | 57.5% |
| Amusement arcades | $83 | 54.2% |
| Natural gas extraction | $976 | 42.9% |
Table: Top 7 Industries by Wage Change $
| Industry | Wkly Chg | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Coal and other mineral merchant wholesalers | $1,271 | 62.1% |
| Natural gas extraction | $976 | 42.9% |
| Television broadcasting | $824 | 57.5% |
| Credit bureaus | $799 | 38.3% |
| Navigational services to shipping | $728 | 57.8% |
| Internet publishing and web search portals | $546 | 37.8% |
| Motion picture and video production | $532 | 62.0% |
Company Size
Alabama Businesses by Size
The solopreneur company, has the most businesses in Alabama by far. 56.7% of all businesses in the state have fewer than 5 employees. The 117,510 small businesses in the state represent 95.5% of all private businesses. The national average is 92.9%. (Small businesses have fewer than 50 employees, Solopreneurs employ fewer than 5.) Alabama added 3,717 businesses in the last year, an increase of 3.1% as compared to the national average of 3.0%.Small businesses are defined as companies with fewer than 50 employees. These small businesses added 3,572 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 3.1% as compared to the national average of 3.1%.
Mid-sized businesses are defined as companies with between 50 and 499 employees. These mid-sized businesses added 136 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 2.6% as compared to the national average of 1.3%.
Large businesses are defined as companies with more than 500 employees. These large businesses added 9 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 4.6% as compared to the national average of 2.1%.
Alabama Employees by Business Size
Alabama added 91,154 employees in the last year, an increase of 6.0% as compared to the national average of 5.2%. Small businesses are defined as companies with fewer than 50 employees. These small businesses added 29,526 businesses in the last year, which is an increase of 33.6% as compared to the national average of 4.2%.Mid-sized businesses are defined as companies with between 50 and 499 employees. Mid-sized businesses added 35,867 employees in the last year, which is an increase of 6.1% as compared to the national average of 4.7%.
Large businesses are defined as companies with more than 500 employees. Large businesses added 25,761 employees in the last year, which is an increase of 14.5% as compared to the national average of 9.2%.
Alabama Avg Weekly Wages by Business Size
Alabama workers in every size business are paid less than the national average. The smallest companies in Alabama (those with fewer than 5 employees) pay workers 7.0% less than the national average ($939 per week as compared to the national average of $1,005 per week). The largest companies in Alabama (those with more than 1,000 employees) pay 36.8% workers below the national average ($1,398 per week as compared to the national average of $1,913 per week).Average weekly wages in small businesses added $100 per week in the last year, which is an increase of 3.1% as compared to the national average of 3.1%. Employees of mid-sized businesses added $90 in wages per week in the last year, which is an increase of 3.2% as compared to the national average of 1.3%.
Employees of large businesses added $22 of weekly wages in the last year, which is an increase of 0.8% as compared to the national average of 2.1%.
Data Sources
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