Which counties in the U.S. have the lowest unemployment?
Hughes County, SD (1.7%), Los Alamos County, NM (1.8%) and Davison County, SD (1.8%) had the lowest unemployment in the U.S. in 2025.
Data as of 2025 · updated
Top 100 U.S. counties by lowest unemployment rate
| Rank | County | Rate 2025 | Change since 2019 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hughes County, SD | 1.7% | −0.7 pts | 17,570 |
| 2 | Los Alamos County, NM | 1.8% | −1.1 pts | 19,407 |
| 3 | Davison County, SD | 1.8% | −0.6 pts | 20,069 |
| 4 | Lake County, SD | 1.8% | −1.0 pts | 10,993 |
| 5 | Lincoln County, SD | 1.8% | −0.4 pts | 77,145 |
| 6 | Texas County, OK | 1.9% | +0.2 pts | 20,322 |
| 7 | Butte County, SD | 1.9% | −0.8 pts | 10,856 |
| 8 | Lawrence County, SD | 1.9% | −0.6 pts | 29,459 |
| 9 | Yankton County, SD | 1.9% | −0.5 pts | 23,635 |
| 10 | Beadle County, SD | 2.0% | −0.7 pts | 19,624 |
| 11 | Codington County, SD | 2.0% | −0.6 pts | 29,562 |
| 12 | Meade County, SD | 2.0% | −0.8 pts | 30,711 |
| 13 | Minnehaha County, SD | 2.0% | −0.4 pts | 212,691 |
| 14 | Pennington County, SD | 2.0% | −0.8 pts | 116,792 |
| 15 | Brookings County, SD | 2.1% | −0.5 pts | 37,635 |
| 16 | Brown County, SD | 2.1% | −0.4 pts | 37,561 |
| 17 | Clay County, SD | 2.1% | −0.5 pts | 15,031 |
| 18 | Union County, SD | 2.1% | −0.7 pts | 17,402 |
| 19 | Shelby County, AL | 2.2% | −0.2 pts | 238,552 |
| 20 | Kauai County, HI | 2.2% | −0.3 pts | 73,400 |
| 21 | Chittenden County, VT | 2.2% | +0.6 pts | 169,115 |
| 22 | Elmore County, AL | 2.3% | −0.4 pts | 91,577 |
| 23 | Morgan County, AL | 2.3% | −0.6 pts | 126,483 |
| 24 | St. Clair County, AL | 2.3% | −0.5 pts | 98,206 |
| 25 | Honolulu County, HI | 2.3% | −0.1 pts | 988,703 |
| 26 | Sioux County, IA | 2.3% | +0.5 pts | 36,774 |
| 27 | Holt County, NE | 2.3% | −0.4 pts | 10,067 |
| 28 | Grand Forks County, ND | 2.3% | +0.4 pts | 74,501 |
| 29 | Autauga County, AL | 2.4% | −0.5 pts | 61,920 |
| 30 | Blount County, AL | 2.4% | −0.4 pts | 60,156 |
| 31 | Limestone County, AL | 2.4% | −0.3 pts | 122,928 |
| 32 | Madison County, AL | 2.4% | −0.3 pts | 433,516 |
| 33 | Marshall County, AL | 2.4% | −0.3 pts | 103,537 |
| 34 | Carroll County, IA | 2.4% | +0.6 pts | 20,303 |
| 35 | Custer County, NE | 2.4% | −0.4 pts | 10,500 |
| 36 | Burleigh County, ND | 2.4% | +0.2 pts | 103,251 |
| 37 | Windsor County, VT | 2.4% | +0.6 pts | 57,312 |
| 38 | Teton County, WY | 2.4% | −0.5 pts | 23,333 |
| 39 | Baldwin County, AL | 2.5% | −0.2 pts | 267,761 |
| 40 | Cullman County, AL | 2.5% | −0.3 pts | 94,009 |
| 41 | DeKalb County, AL | 2.5% | −0.4 pts | 74,085 |
| 42 | Lawrence County, AL | 2.5% | −0.7 pts | 33,843 |
| 43 | Lee County, AL | 2.5% | −0.3 pts | 189,881 |
| 44 | Gallatin County, MT | 2.5% | +0.1 pts | 128,740 |
| 45 | Richland County, MT | 2.5% | −0.1 pts | 11,377 |
| 46 | Buffalo County, NE | 2.5% | −0.2 pts | 51,172 |
| 47 | Red Willow County, NE | 2.5% | −0.5 pts | 10,307 |
| 48 | Saunders County, NE | 2.5% | −0.2 pts | 23,702 |
| 49 | Cass County, ND | 2.5% | +0.7 pts | 201,794 |
| 50 | McKenzie County, ND | 2.5% | +0.7 pts | 15,192 |
| 51 | Ramsey County, ND | 2.5% | +0.0 pts | 11,530 |
| 52 | Stark County, ND | 2.5% | +0.4 pts | 34,013 |
| 53 | Stutsman County, ND | 2.5% | +0.4 pts | 21,414 |
| 54 | Kingfisher County, OK | 2.5% | +0.3 pts | 15,795 |
| 55 | Addison County, VT | 2.5% | +0.4 pts | 38,048 |
| 56 | Calumet County, WI | 2.5% | −0.1 pts | 53,982 |
| 57 | Chambers County, AL | 2.6% | −0.5 pts | 34,253 |
| 58 | Chilton County, AL | 2.6% | −0.4 pts | 47,708 |
| 59 | Cleburne County, AL | 2.6% | −0.7 pts | 15,970 |
| 60 | Effingham County, GA | 2.6% | −0.5 pts | 74,397 |
| 61 | Teton County, ID | 2.6% | +0.4 pts | 13,254 |
| 62 | Cherokee County, IA | 2.6% | +0.3 pts | 11,369 |
| 63 | Lyon County, IA | 2.6% | +0.8 pts | 12,354 |
| 64 | Plymouth County, IA | 2.6% | +0.3 pts | 25,697 |
| 65 | Seward County, NE | 2.6% | −0.2 pts | 18,032 |
| 66 | York County, NE | 2.6% | −0.2 pts | 14,564 |
| 67 | Ward County, ND | 2.6% | +0.5 pts | 68,233 |
| 68 | Washington County, VT | 2.6% | +0.5 pts | 59,652 |
| 69 | Dane County, WI | 2.6% | +0.2 pts | 590,375 |
| 70 | Green County, WI | 2.6% | −0.2 pts | 37,227 |
| 71 | Bibb County, AL | 2.7% | −0.5 pts | 22,262 |
| 72 | Coffee County, AL | 2.7% | −0.2 pts | 56,953 |
| 73 | Franklin County, AL | 2.7% | −0.4 pts | 32,449 |
| 74 | Geneva County, AL | 2.7% | −0.4 pts | 27,554 |
| 75 | Miami-Dade County, FL | 2.7% | −0.2 pts | 2,802,029 |
| 76 | Dawson County, GA | 2.7% | −0.2 pts | 35,365 |
| 77 | Forsyth County, GA | 2.7% | −0.1 pts | 282,805 |
| 78 | Oconee County, GA | 2.7% | +0.0 pts | 44,893 |
| 79 | Hawaii County, HI | 2.7% | −0.7 pts | 210,043 |
| 80 | Maui County, HI | 2.7% | +0.2 pts | 160,592 |
| 81 | Johnson County, IA | 2.7% | +0.7 pts | 160,044 |
| 82 | O'Brien County, IA | 2.7% | +0.4 pts | 14,220 |
| 83 | Washington County, IA | 2.7% | +0.4 pts | 22,667 |
| 84 | Nemaha County, KS | 2.7% | −0.2 pts | 10,054 |
| 85 | Cumberland County, ME | 2.7% | +0.5 pts | 317,222 |
| 86 | Sagadahoc County, ME | 2.7% | +0.5 pts | 37,979 |
| 87 | Lincoln County, NE | 2.7% | −0.9 pts | 33,303 |
| 88 | Platte County, NE | 2.7% | −0.3 pts | 35,649 |
| 89 | Washington County, NE | 2.7% | −0.3 pts | 21,302 |
| 90 | Grafton County, NH | 2.7% | +0.4 pts | 93,225 |
| 91 | Sullivan County, NH | 2.7% | +0.2 pts | 43,961 |
| 92 | Morton County, ND | 2.7% | +0.3 pts | 34,601 |
| 93 | Custer County, OK | 2.7% | +0.2 pts | 28,175 |
| 94 | Jackson County, OK | 2.7% | +0.1 pts | 24,764 |
| 95 | Franklin County, VT | 2.7% | +0.5 pts | 51,177 |
| 96 | Powhatan County, VA | 2.7% | +0.3 pts | 32,591 |
| 97 | Dodge County, WI | 2.7% | −0.1 pts | 89,097 |
| 98 | Lafayette County, WI | 2.7% | −0.1 pts | 17,478 |
| 99 | Cherokee County, AL | 2.8% | −0.6 pts | 26,413 |
| 100 | Clay County, AL | 2.8% | −0.5 pts | 14,207 |
How this is ranked
The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Only counties with at least 10,000 residents are listed here (the top 100); each county's own page ranks it against every U.S. county with the same figure. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.
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Questions
Which county in the U.S. has the lowest unemployment rate?
Hughes County, SD: 1.7%, ahead of Los Alamos County, NM (1.8%) and Davison County, SD (1.8%), of 2,407 U.S. counties with at least 10,000 residents ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Only counties with at least 10,000 residents are listed here (the top 100); each county's own page ranks it against every U.S. county with the same figure. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.
More county rankings for the U.S.
Lowest unemployment rate in other states
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