June 2020 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

In June 2020, all 36 of Oregon’s counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. In 16 of Oregon’s 36 counties, unemployment rates dropped by 3 percentage points or more. Clatsop County experienced the largest over-the-month decrease at 8.1 percentage points. Counties with the smallest percentage point changes in their unemployment rates since May 2020 include Wheeler (-0.3pp), Gilliam (-0.6pp), and Lake and Morrow (-0.4pp). 

Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 17.0 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in June include Clatsop (15.2%), Crook (13.5%), and Curry (13.4%).

Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 5.7 percent. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in June were Morrow (7.0%) and Malheur (7.4%). Twenty-two counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 11.1 percent. Twenty-three counties also had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 11.2 percent.



Total nonfarm payroll employment declined sharply in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between June 2019 and June 2020. The largest job losses occurred in the Coast region (-14.8%) and Central Oregon (- 11.6%). Eastern Oregon (-10.4%), the Willamette Valley (-8.5%), and Southern Oregon (-8.0%) also experienced large over-the-year employment losses.

Read the original press release here.