March (Un)Employment Situation for Oregon's Counties

In March 2011, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were below 10.0 percent in 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Gilliam County saw the lowest jobless rate for the month (6.2%), and Crook County had the highest rate (15.4%).

The largest unemployment rate declines from March 2010 occurred in Sherman and Deschutes counties (-1.9 percentage points each). The largest unemployment rate increase over the year occurred in Grant County (+0.9 percentage point). Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.0 percent in March, and the U.S. rate was 8.8 percent.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm payroll employment increased from March 2010 to March 2011 in five of the state’s six broad regions. The coast region saw the greatest rate of employment growth (1.6%), followed by the five Portland metropolitan area counties (1.1%). Smaller gains occurred in southern Oregon (0.7%), the combined eastern Oregon counties (0.6%), and central Oregon (0.1%). Employment declined in the Willamette Valley over the year (-0.2%).


For more employment information in Oregon's counties and metropolitan areas, visit our Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics pages!