March 2021 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

In March 2021, 24 out of 36 of Oregon’s counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. Clatsop and Union counties saw the largest over-the-month decrease, declining 0.9 percentage point each in March.

Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March at 8.0%. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates included Grant (7.5%), Curry (7.4%), Coos (7.3%), and Crook (7.3%) counties. 

Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 3.8%. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in March were Malheur (4.4%) and Sherman (4.6%) counties. Eighteen counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 6.0%. Eighteen counties also had unemployment rates at or below the nationwide rate of 6.0%.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between March 2020 and March 2021. The largest job losses occurred in the Portland-5 (-7.8%). The Coast (-6.3%), the Willamette Valley (-5.8%), and Central Oregon (-3.6%) also experienced large over-the-year employment losses. Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon dropped 3.0% and 2.3%, respectively.

Next News Releases

The Oregon Employment Department will release statewide unemployment rate and industry employment data for April 2021 on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The April 2021 county and metropolitan area unemployment rates will be released on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.  

Read the original press release here.