October 2020 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

In October 2020, all of Oregon’s 36 counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. In 32 counties, unemployment rates dropped by half a percentage point or more. Lincoln County experienced the largest over-the-month decrease at 1.9 percentage points.

Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in October at 8.7 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates include Multnomah (8.3%) and Crook (8.0%). 

Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 4.1 percent. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in October were Morrow (5.1%) and Malheur (5.2%). Twenty-one counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 6.9 percent. Twenty-one counties also had unemployment rates at or below the nationwide rate of 6.9 percent.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined sharply in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between October 2019 and October 2020. The largest job losses occurred in the Portland-5 (-9.9%). The Coast (-7.9%), Willamette Valley (-7.6%), and Central Oregon (-5.5%) also experienced large over-the-year employment losses.

Read the original press release here.