August 2017 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton and Washington counties had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in August at 3.5 percent. Grant County (6.4%) registered the highest rate for the month. Crook (6.1%), Josephine (5.9%), and Curry (5.9%) counties also had some of the highest unemployment rates in the state this month.

Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 4.1 percent and 11 counties were below the national rate of 4.4 percent. Gilliam County saw its unemployment rate improve over the year by 2.0 percentage points, more than any other county. Other counties that saw a large improvement in their unemployment rates were Wallowa, Baker, and Jefferson, where the unemployment rates improved by 1.5, 1.4, and 1.4 percentage points, respectively, over the year.

See the full labor force and unemployment by area press release in 36 counties and metropolitan areas in Oregon.