January 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.4 percent in January 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in January included Hood River (3.5%) and Washington (3.7%). Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.3 percent and the national rate of 4.0 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 8.5 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in January were Harney and Klamath (7.2%).

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between January 2018 and January 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Southern Oregon and Central Oregon (+1.5%). The Portland Area (+1.2%), the Coast (+0.8%), the Willamette Valley (+0.6%) and Eastern Oregon (+0.6%) also added jobs.

Read the full press release here.