ALABAMA
Percent Unemployed Getting Benefits: 24% (18th lowest)
Percent Average Weekly Wage Covered: 26.2% (sixth lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (tied-ninth highest)
Black Unemployment Rate (2013): 12.1%
Alabama was one of the most stingy with its unemployment insurance, with residents receiving 26.2% of average weekly income, the sixth lowest coverage in the country. The recipiency rate was also slightly below the national rate of 27%. While unemployment was 6.9%, roughly in line with the national rate of 6.7%, underemployment in Alabama was a full percentage point lower than the national underemployment rate.