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Movers’ Report · Alabama week of September 29, 2026

Huntsville and Birmingham unemployment both fall while gas climbs across Alabama

The unemployment rate in Huntsville fell from 3.3% to 3.1% (BLS, July 2026), the biggest change in our latest Alabama readings.

By The Honest Local · every number links to its public source · 14 readings across 3 places
−0.2ptsunemployment rate in Huntsville, AL, 3.3% to 3.1%BLS · Jul 2026
Downtown Huntsville, Alabama skyline at dusk with office towers over the Tennessee Valley in the Rocket City
Huntsville, AL, where this week’s biggest move landed.
The movers largest changes this period, with source and date

Jobs got a little more secure in the state's two biggest cities even as listing prices slid and gas got pricier everywhere.

Huntsville's unemployment rate dropped to 3.1%, down 0.2 points from 3.3%, per BLS. Birmingham moved the same direction, down 0.2 points to 3.5% from 3.7%. Two cities, same story. Fewer people out of work, which matters more than almost anything else on this list if you're deciding where to plant yourself.

But nobody's driving for free. Gas in Huntsville jumped to $4.11 a gallon, up from $4.00, per AAA. Birmingham and the state as a whole moved up too, $4.07 and $4.08 respectively. That's every corner of Alabama paying more at the pump this month, no exceptions.

Housing's where it gets interesting. Alabama's median listing price statewide fell to $330,900 from $338,900, per FRED's realtor.com series, and Huntsville's own listing price slid to $365,000 from $370,000. If you're buying, that's the number to watch. Rent didn't move much either way, Huntsville's actually dipped slightly to $1,330 while Birmingham's rent ticked up to $1,322.

Put it together and Alabama's not a simple story this week. Jobs are more secure, driving costs more, and buying a home got a little cheaper on paper. None of those facts cancel each other out. You just have to hold all three at once.

  • Huntsville's unemployment rate fell to 3.1% in July 2026, down from 3.3%, per BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
  • Birmingham's unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in July 2026, down from 3.7%, per BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
  • Huntsville's regular gas price rose to $4.11 in September 2026, up from $4.00, per AAA's Huntsville area average.
  • Alabama's median listing price fell to $330,900 in August 2026, down from $338,900, per FRED / realtor.com.
  • Birmingham's regular gas price rose to $4.07 in September 2026, up from $4.01, per AAA's Birmingham area average.
  • Alabama's statewide gas price rose to $4.08 in September 2026, up from $4.01, per AAA's state average.
  • Huntsville's median listing price fell to $365,000 in August 2026, down from $370,000, per FRED / realtor.com.
  • Birmingham's median rent rose to $1,322 in August 2026, up from $1,311, per Zillow's rent index.
How this report is built. Every figure comes from a public series read this week: Zillow’s rent and home value indexes, FRED’s listing price series from realtor.com, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ local unemployment rates, and AAA’s state gas averages. The prose is drafted from those readings and checked number by number against them before it publishes. Unemployment moves are shown in percentage points. Nothing here is a forecast.
Sources and method
  1. AAA, Huntsville area average · Regular gas
  2. FRED / realtor.com, series MEDLISPRI26620 · Listing price
  3. Zillow Observed Rent Index (city) · Median rent
  4. Zillow Home Value Index (city) · Home value
  5. BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · Unemployment
  6. AAA, AL state average · Regular gas
  7. FRED / realtor.com, series MEDLISPRIAL · Listing price
  8. Zillow Home Value Index (state) · Home value
  9. AAA, Birmingham area average · Regular gas
  10. FRED / realtor.com, series MEDLISPRI13820 · Listing price

The Honest Local publishes a Movers’ Report for each state it covers, weekly, from public data. Readings that go stale are dropped, not carried. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.