April 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Wheeler County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.0 percent in April 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in April included Benton (3.1%), Gilliam (3.2%), and Hood River (3.2%). Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.2 percent.

Twelve of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. Wheeler County saw its unemployment rate improve over the year by 1.4 percentage points, more than any other county. Klamath County saw its unemployment rate increase the most of any county over the past year, rising 0.5 percentage point to 6.3 percent. 

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in five of Oregon’s six broad regions between April 2017 and April 2018. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.9%). Southern Oregon (+2.7%), the Willamette Valley (+2.1%), the Portland area (+1.3%), and the Oregon Coast (+1.2%) also added jobs. Eastern Oregon had no growth over the past year.

To learn more about the employment situation for your county, click here. To see the full press release, click here.