Alabama's jobless rate lowest in the South

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the South. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Alabama's 6.2 percent rate for November is better than all neighboring states. Florida measured 6.4 percent, Georgia 7.7 percent, Tennessee 8.1 percent, and Mississippi 8.3 percent. Mississippi's rate was the highest rate in the South. Alabama's rate was also lower the Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Virginia, which traditionally has the lowest rate in the South, did it again in November with 5.4 percent. The bureau said the South had the lowest unemployment rate of any geographic region with 6.7 percent. The West had the highest rate at 7.6 percent.