Only eight Alabama counties fared better than Lauderdale County in November's unemployment data, which was released last week by the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

Lauderdale's 5.9 percent unemployment rate was ninth best in the state during the month. Only Shelby (4.6), Madison (5.6), Lee (5.6), and Limestone, Blount, Cullman, St. Clair and Coffee - all at 5.7 percent performed better.

Yet, 2,691 county residents were counted as being unemployed during the month. That's 486 fewer residents getting benefits than in October.

Colbert's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in November, down 1.1 percent from the previous month. In Franklin, the November rate was 7.4 percent, but that total is 1.3 percent better than in October.

The Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan area, which combines Colbert and Lauderdale counties, had a 6.2 percent unemployment rate in November. That ranks fourth among the state's 11 metro areas. Only Huntsville, Auburn-Opelika and Birmingham-Hoover performed better.

The Shoals metro unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in November 2011.

There were nearly 1,700 more Shoals residents working this November than during the same month in 2011 (66,750-65,082).