Shelby County again has the state’s best unemployment rate at 7.4 percent for the month of October, down from 7.6 percent in September.

During the month of September, Madison boasted the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 7.5 percent, which broke a stretch of 19 years, from February 1990-August 2009, in which Shelby County had the lowest unemployment rate.

Alabama’s unemployment rate rose again to 10.9 percent in October, up from 10.7 percent in September.

That 10.9 percent represents 226,790 unemployed persons.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates were Shelby, Madison at 7.5 percent and Coffee at 8.3 percent. Counties with the highest unemployment rates were Wilcox at 25.1 percent, Dallas at 21.9 percent and Conecuh at 20.5 percent.

Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said Alabama is already paying benefits to those in need.

“While we did experience a slight increase in the unemployment rate, I am proud to announce that Alabama is already paying federal extension benefits to those claimants who qualify,” Surtees said. “This extension was only signed into law Nov. 6, so that represents a less-than-two-week turnaround time on distributing these much-needed dollars.”

He said unemployed Alabamians should file for benefits online in order to get benefits quickly.

Claimants can get more information at dir.alabama.gov or by calling 1-800-752-7389.