Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.
As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Oregon, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it’s up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.
The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a “soft landing.”
To get a better idea of your community’s current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Oregon.
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#36. Wasco County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,887 people (562 unemployed)
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#35. Wheeler County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 842 people (28 unemployed)
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#34. Sherman County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,022 people (34 unemployed)
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#33. Hood River County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,960 people (495 unemployed)
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#32. Wallowa County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,882 people (134 unemployed)
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#31. Benton County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 48,954 people (1,869 unemployed)
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#30. Washington County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 336,693 people (13,298 unemployed)
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#29. Harney County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,562 people (146 unemployed)
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#28. Yamhill County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 56,952 people (2,322 unemployed)
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#27. Clackamas County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 228,390 people (9,271 unemployed)
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#26. Baker County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 7,049 people (299 unemployed)
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#25. Tillamook County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,450 people (525 unemployed)
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#24. Malheur County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,379 people (566 unemployed)
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#23. Clatsop County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,466 people (859 unemployed)
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#22. Deschutes County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 107,265 people (4,465 unemployed)
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#21. Multnomah County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 471,422 people (20,313 unemployed)
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#20. Morrow County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,274 people (274 unemployed)
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#19. Umatilla County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 39,102 people (1,736 unemployed)
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#18. Polk County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 43,667 people (1,913 unemployed)
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#17. Marion County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 175,150 people (7,728 unemployed)
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#16. Union County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,113 people (547 unemployed)
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#15. Lane County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 185,130 people (8,396 unemployed)
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#14. Grant County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,144 people (153 unemployed)
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#13. Linn County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 62,000 people (3,010 unemployed)
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#12. Lincoln County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,179 people (1,111 unemployed)
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#11. Columbia County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,219 people (1,261 unemployed)
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#10. Jefferson County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,427 people (527 unemployed)
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#9. Coos County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,462 people (1,386 unemployed)
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#8. Jackson County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 108,136 people (5,661 unemployed)
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#7. Gilliam County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 931 people (49 unemployed)
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#6. Lake County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,732 people (200 unemployed)
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#5. Douglas County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 47,836 people (2,624 unemployed)
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#4. Curry County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,051 people (504 unemployed)
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#3. Klamath County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 30,465 people (1,696 unemployed)
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#2. Crook County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,779 people (690 unemployed)
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#1. Josephine County
– July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 36,633 people (2,248 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
Stacker
Stacker is a news organization that produces and distributes data journalism to the world’s news organizations. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling. This article has been republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.