County-Level (Un)Employment in June

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted jobless rate (6.0%) in June, while Crook County posted the highest rate (13.6%). Thirteen of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 8.5 percent. Unemployment rates declined between June 2011 and June 2012 in all but two Oregon counties. The rates rose by 0.2 percentage point each in Gilliam and Wasco counties. Harney County saw the largest improvement in its unemployment rate, which declined by 1.9 percentage points over the year.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose between June 2011 and June 2012 in three of Oregon’s six broad regions. The five counties in the Oregon portion of the Portland metro area and Southern Oregon both reported job growth of 0.9 percent. Central Oregon (0.3%) saw smaller gains over the year. Growth was essentially flat in Eastern Oregon, while employment dipped slightly along the coast (-0.5%). The Willamette Valley continued to struggle in June, posting a job loss of 1.5 percent from the previous year.

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