September 2020 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

In September 2020, 31 of Oregon’s 36 counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. In 19 counties, unemployment rates dropped by half a percentage point or more. Multnomah and Jefferson counties experienced the largest over-the-month decreases at 1.1 percentage point each. Over-the-month unemployment rates remained unchanged in four counties: Jackson, Linn, Lake, and Wheeler. Douglas County saw a slight increase in its unemployment rate over the month (+0.2pp).

Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September at 10.6 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates include Multnomah (9.5%), and Crook (9.1%).

Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 4.4 percent. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in September were Morrow (5.3%) and Benton (5.6%). Twenty-two counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 8.0 percent. Twenty-one counties also had unemployment rates at or below the nationwide rate of 7.9 percent.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined sharply in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between September 2019 and September 2020. The largest job losses occurred in the Coast region (-9.6%). Portland-5 (-8.2%), Central Oregon (-7.3%), and the Willamette Valley (-6.9%) also experienced large over-the-year employment losses.

Read the original press release here.