Shelby County’s unemployment rate of 4.1 percent for November was down from October’s rate of 4.5 percent, up slightly from November 2015’s rate of 4 percent and well below the state rate of 5.9 percent.

The rate represents 4,479 unemployed people out of a civilian labor force of 109,427.

Unemployment rates for counties surrounding Shelby include Jefferson at 5.5 percent, St. Clair at 5 percent, Talladega at 6.8 percent, Coosa at 6.4 percent, Chilton at 5.2 percent and Bibb at 6.1 percent.

Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted November rate was up from October’s rate of 5.7 percent and below November 2015’s rate of 6.2 percent.

November’s rate represents 2,065,967 employed persons, up from October’s count of 2,058,443, and significantly higher than November 2015’s count of 2,011,267. The number of people counted as unemployed in November was 128,787, compared to 123,750 in October and 132,779 in November 2015.

“More people are working now than at any time in 2016,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said in a release. “In fact, more people are working now than since April 2008. Additionally, there are more people in the workforce than there have been in over five years. This means that Alabamians have increased confidence in the economy. As for those counted as unemployed, November’s count ranks as one of the lowest five months since 2008.”

After Shelby, counties with the lowest unemployment rates were Lee, Elmore and Cullman counties at 4.7 percent; and Madison, Cherokee and Autauga counties at 4.9 percent.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates were Wilcox County at 14.3 percent, Clarke County at 10.9 percent and Greene County at 10.1 percent.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates were Vestavia Hills at 3.5 percent, Homewood at 3.6 percent and Hoover at 4 percent.

Hoover’s rate was 4.4 percent in October and 3.8 percent in November 2015.

Major cities with the highest unemployment rates were Bessemer at 10 percent, Prichard and Selma at 9.7 percent, and Anniston at 8 percent.