July (Un)Employment in Oregon's Counties and Metros

This morning the Oregon Employment Department released the unemployment rates and employment estimates in each county and metropolitan area for July.

As has been the case every single month since February 2011, Benton County (6.3%) had the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July, while Crook County (14.1%) posted the highest unemployment rate. Since we know the consistent lowest and highest rates, let's take a look at the top 10 rates on either end of the spectrum.

Five of the 10 lowest unemployment rates in July were in counties that made up all or part of a metropolitan area in Oregon. These include Benton County, which constitutes the Corvallis metro area; and Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties (four of the five Portland metro counties in Oregon). Meanwhile, the highest county unemployment rates tended to be in nonmetropolitan areas.

Turning to job growth, total nonfarm payroll employment rose in four of Oregon’s six broad regions between July of 2011 and July of 2012. The combined Eastern Oregon counties (+0.9%) reported the largest increase over the year. Gains also occurred in the Portland area (+0.8%), Southern Oregon (+0.7%), and the Willamette Valley (+0.3%). Job losses were recorded for the Oregon Coast (-0.3%) and the combined Central Oregon counties (-0.7%).

For more information on a specific area, visit QualityInfo and select an area on the regional map in the top-right corner of the page.