Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates last month.
As of August, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 315 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 45 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 August 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 4.1% in September, down slightly from the previous month. Still, it’s up substantially from 3.8% during the same month last year and remains higher than it had otherwise been since December 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, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in 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.” The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.
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. Wheeler County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 835 people (24 unemployed)
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#35. Sherman County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,015 people (30 unemployed)
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#34. Hood River County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 15,318 people (459 unemployed)
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#33. Wallowa County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,867 people (127 unemployed)
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#32. Malheur County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,438 people (474 unemployed)
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#31. Benton County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 49,117 people (1,739 unemployed)
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#30. Harney County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,617 people (131 unemployed)
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#29. Baker County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,083 people (253 unemployed)
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#28. Morrow County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,233 people (233 unemployed)
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#27. Tillamook County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,572 people (463 unemployed)
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#26. Wasco County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,085 people (523 unemployed)
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#25. Washington County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 338,179 people (12,449 unemployed)
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#24. Yamhill County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 57,087 people (2,173 unemployed)
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#23. Deschutes County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 107,670 people (4,138 unemployed)
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#22. Clackamas County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 229,076 people (8,681 unemployed)
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#21. Clatsop County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,554 people (810 unemployed)
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#20. Umatilla County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 39,178 people (1,544 unemployed)
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#19. Lake County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,708 people (150 unemployed)
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#18. Polk County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 44,102 people (1,781 unemployed)
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#17. Multnomah County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 473,108 people (19,160 unemployed)
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#16. Marion County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 176,677 people (7,309 unemployed)
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#15. Union County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,154 people (506 unemployed)
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#14. Lane County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 183,968 people (7,885 unemployed)
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#13. Lincoln County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 22,267 people (1,003 unemployed)
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#12. Linn County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 62,232 people (2,810 unemployed)
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#11. Jefferson County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,402 people (487 unemployed)
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#10. Columbia County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 25,307 people (1,178 unemployed)
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#9. Jackson County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 108,597 people (5,083 unemployed)
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#8. Grant County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,169 people (152 unemployed)
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#7. Curry County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,118 people (440 unemployed)
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#6. Coos County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,681 people (1,309 unemployed)
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#5. Gilliam County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 960 people (49 unemployed)
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#4. Crook County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,742 people (603 unemployed)
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#3. Douglas County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 47,997 people (2,465 unemployed)
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#2. Klamath County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 30,847 people (1,610 unemployed)
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#1. Josephine County
– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 36,247 people (2,002 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.