December 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton and Washington County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rates at 3.0 percent in December 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December included Hood River (3.1%) and Multnomah (3.2%). Seven counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 3.7 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 6.6 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in November were Klamath (6.3%) and Wallowa (5.9%).

In December 2019, all of Oregon’s counties were at or below their unemployment rates for December 2018. Wheeler County had the same unemployment rate in December 2018 as in December 2019 (4.5%). Curry County’s unemployment decreased the most, from 6.8 percent in December 2018 to 5.1 percent in December 2019.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between December 2018 and December 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.2%). The Portland area (+1.0%), Southern Oregon (+1.0%), the Willamette Valley (+0.8%), the Coast (+0.7%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.6%) also saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here.