Best Online Colleges in Alabama

Benefits of Studying Online in Alabama

With its mild climate, deep southern roots, and numerous attraction, Alabama is one of the most attractive states in the region, and is home to just over 5 million people (it ranks as the 24th most populous state in the nation). It's capitol is located in Montgomery, while the largest city is actually Huntsville. Alabamans may also refer to their homeland as the Cotton State or the Yellowhammer State. Furthermore, the state represents the 30th most square mileage of any (totalling a just over 52,000 square miles). All of this contributes to a rich and diverse environment, making it ideal for someone studying or thinking of starting a career.

Employment Stats

When it comes to the the labor market, Alabama fared relatively well in 2022. At the end of the year, the state had 2,098,500 non-farm employees (ranking as the 24th largest employer of any state) - that's just slightly above 1.37% of the nation's overall workforce. Despite an overall sluggish economy, derived from the pandemic, Alabama was still able to add nearly 45,000 jobs from 2021, an increase of 2.17%. This small but noteworthy addition places Alabama as the 43 fastest growing state from the standpoint of jobs added.

In terms of its peers, Alabama did barely better than Oregon, which recorded 1,983,000 jobs at the end of 2022 - that's a difference of just 116,000 (a 5.85% difference). However, Alabama was outranked by South Carolina (#23), which employed 2,247,000 people by the end of 2022 (that's 149,000 more than Alabama or -6.6% less than Alabama). All that being said, Alabama is still roughly 88% behind the nation's leader (California). But, given Alabama's "only" 1.5% share of the country's population, it's not too surprising to see that the gap between Alabama and the nation's leader is so sizable.

Job Opportunities

Alabama is a great place to study, offering more than 700 unique job types across the state, which puts it at the 29th slot, just -1.1% behind the median of 722 occupations. That may not seem like much of a difference, so it’s worth noting that Louisiana holds that median position, which also employs 722 types of occupations.

All in all, the state offers a number of universities and colleges, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham to the University of South Alabama. Alabama also has a number of distinguished historically black colleges, such as Auburn University - Montgomery and Alabama State University. So you’ll certainly have no problem finding the right education to fit your needs. Furthermore, Alabama is a great place to live and recreate, with a number of national parks and forests as well as the Gulf Coast beaches just a short drive away.

In conclusion, Alabama is one of the fastest growing states in terms of employment opportunities and job growth, and possesses an attractive land area for those looking to explore the outdoors. Its fair climate and rich culture make it an ideal place for students to start looking for potential career paths or just enjoy thesouthern hospitality of Alabama.

*All data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023)