{"schema_version": 1, "id": "gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 264, "label": "Gadsden, AL MSA", "slug": "gadsden-al-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:38:04.322113+00:00", "headline": "Gadsden unemployment climbs as manufacturing pay softens", "headline_summary": "Etowah County's jobless rate rose to 3.8% from 2.8% a year ago, while advertised manufacturing pay fell to $31,210 \u2014 well under Alabama's record statewide manufacturing wage of $1,389.75 a week.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Etowah County unemployment rate", "value": "3.8%", "context": "Up from 2.8% a year ago (Sept. 2025)"}, {"label": "Gadsden MSA civilian labor force", "value": "41,659", "context": "1,535 unemployed, 3.7% MSA rate"}, {"label": "Etowah County avg. weekly wage", "value": "$943", "context": "Trails AL manufacturing avg. of $1,389.75"}, {"label": "Statewide unemployment rate", "value": "3.5%", "context": "Highest in nearly 10 years (Alabama DOL)"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Etowah County unemployment is rising faster than the state trend.", "body": "The county's 3.8% rate compares to Alabama's 3.5% statewide figure, and both have climbed from a materially lower base a year ago. Unlike the state's participation-driven story, metro-level wage data doesn't show the same offsetting strength, raising questions about whether local demand is keeping pace."}, {"headline": "Manufacturing pay softness cuts against the state's industrial strength narrative.", "body": "Alabama posted record average weekly wages in manufacturing ($1,389.75) statewide, yet Gadsden's advertised manufacturing production worker pay fell moderately to $31,210 annualized, well under the national median of $39,520. Food manufacturing's local concentration (1,779 jobs in Etowah County) means this divergence carries outsized weight for the metro's economic base."}, {"headline": "Office and skilled-trade pay gains point to where local demand concentrates.", "body": "Administrative assistant pay rose significantly to $39,552 and electrician pay climbed to $60,907, both outpacing many metro peers in direction if not level. This pattern is consistent with steadier demand in professional-support and skilled-trade work even as frontline manufacturing and operations roles soften."}, {"headline": "Healthcare wage momentum aligns with the sector's national lead.", "body": "Registered nurse pay in Gadsden rose moderately to $90,316, tracking the national pattern of healthcare leading private-sector hiring demand. Gadsden Regional Medical Center's continued anchor role suggests healthcare remains the metro's most reliable source of wage and employment stability."}], "local_conditions": "Etowah County's unemployment rate rose to 3.8% in September 2026, tracking the statewide drift upward from 2.8% a year earlier, with labor force conditions tightening even as the Gadsden MSA's broader 3.7% rate reflects a civilian labor force of 41,659 \u2014 a base too small to absorb sector shocks without ripple effects across the metro. Wage pressure remains uneven: Etowah County's average weekly wage of $943 trails the state's record-setting construction ($1,432) and manufacturing ($1,389) averages, even as local food manufacturing concentration (1,779 jobs) and healthcare anchors like Gadsden Regional Medical Center continue to anchor demand.", "implications": "Rising unemployment alongside flat wages suggests Gadsden's labor market is absorbing more job seekers without a commensurate increase in advertised pay, a pattern distinct from the state's prime-age participation story and one that points to softer consumer spending power locally than Alabama's headline numbers imply. For commerce leaders evaluating expansion or investment timing, the metro's below-average weekly wage combined with declines in advertised pay for manufacturing production workers (-moderate) and operations managers (-significant) may suggest cost advantages for labor-intensive operations, but also signals constrained local purchasing power. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether Etowah County's unemployment uptick stabilizes or continues climbing before treating it as a structural shift in the metro's economic trajectory.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Etowah County's unemployment rate stabilizes near 3.8% or continues the upward trend seen since late 2025 \u2014 a continued climb would mark a departure from the tight labor conditions the metro saw entering the year."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Declining advertised pay for manufacturing production workers and operations managers warrants tracking against statewide manufacturing wage records; a widening gap could signal the metro is not sharing in Alabama's industrial wage gains."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "No WARN notices specific to the Gadsden MSA have surfaced this month, but Alabama's 2026 filings (Legacy Cabinets' 397-worker Eastaboga closure, among others) sit near the metro's periphery \u2014 local economic development contacts should confirm whether similar announcements affect Etowah County suppliers or contractors."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Job ads in Gadsden, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), totaled roughly 8,364 as of September \u2014 tracking whether this volume holds or declines over the next two months will help indicate whether local demand is cooling alongside the unemployment uptick."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 20386.0, "metro_p50": 25812.0, "metro_p75": 29709.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 21840.0, "metro_p50": 24618.0, "metro_p75": 24960.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26000.0, "metro_p50": 31330.0, "metro_p75": 34580.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 61243.0, "metro_p50": 78000.0, "metro_p75": 85000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26410.0, "metro_p50": 29703.0, "metro_p75": 30832.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 38852.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58831.0, "metro_p50": 60907.4, "metro_p75": 66375.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31029.75, "metro_p50": 31210.0, "metro_p75": 33349.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30791.0, "metro_p50": 33000.0, "metro_p75": 33000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28094.5, "metro_p50": 32864.0, "metro_p75": 32864.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29542.25, "metro_p50": 34609.0, "metro_p75": 35802.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31677.0, "metro_p50": 39552.0, "metro_p75": 42529.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 53566.75, "metro_p50": 65413.6, "metro_p75": 70797.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 77737.0, "metro_p50": 90316.0, "metro_p75": 96333.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 104079.0, "metro_p50": 148030.6, "metro_p75": 160000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 99179.0, "metro_p50": 136840.0, "metro_p75": 155677.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55539.0, "metro_p50": 70250.0, "metro_p75": 70250.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 71592.0, "metro_p50": 90150.8, "metro_p75": 101623.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60189.0, "metro_p50": 63013.2, "metro_p75": 80601.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 43355.0, "metro_p50": 56056.0, "metro_p75": 69005.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 55900.0, "metro_p50": 70071.6, "metro_p75": 75736.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 51401.5, "metro_p50": 69756.0, "metro_p75": 69756.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29588.0, "metro_p50": 74882.2, "metro_p75": 99000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 43698.25, "metro_p50": 57387.4, "metro_p75": 77854.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 80265.0, "metro_p50": 97933.0, "metro_p75": 108350.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 44021.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 49567.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 31242.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 55323.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 120108.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 45234.5, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 62578.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 84272.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 29120.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 64503.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [{"source_name": "Alabama Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Etowah County unemployment rate reached 3.8% in September 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Gadsden MSA civilian labor force and unemployment figures"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Etowah County average weekly wage of $943 as of March 2026"}, {"source_name": "Alabama Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alabama construction and manufacturing average weekly wages set records"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics / Alabama Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alabama statewide unemployment rate at 3.5%, highest in nearly a decade"}, {"source_name": "Indeed.com", "source_url": null, "statement": "Approximately 8,364 job postings active in Gadsden as of September 2026"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:22:17.495683+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/gadsden-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}