July 2020 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

In July 2020, 35 of Oregon’s 36 counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. In 19 counties, unemployment rates dropped by 1 percentage point or more. Clatsop County experienced the largest over-the-month decrease at 2.6 percentage points. Counties with the smallest percentage point changes in their unemployment rates since June 2020 include Lake (+/-0.0pp), and Harney, Malheur, and Union (-0.2pp each).

Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 15.2 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in July include Clatsop (12.9%), Multnomah (12.7%), and Curry (11.9%).

Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 5.3 percent. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in July were Morrow (6.0%) and Malheur (7.1%). Twenty-four counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 10.4 percent. Twenty-two counties also had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 10.2 percent.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined sharply in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between July 2019 and July 2020. The largest job losses occurred in the Coast region (-13.6%). Central Oregon (-9.0%), Portland-5 (-8.9%), and the Willamette Valley (-7.0%) also experienced large over-the-year employment losses.

Read the original press release here.