While significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, unemployment rates remain a subject of concern, though experts’ views on a potential recession are mixed. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2007-2009—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of May 2023, national unemployment is at 3.4%, with little change from April. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.9% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Nevada.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Oregon using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in May 2023, 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.
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#36. Wheeler County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 747 people (18 unemployed)
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#35. Hood River County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,097 people (332 unemployed)
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#34. Benton County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 49,175 people (1,207 unemployed)
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#33. Washington County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 329,876 people (9,275 unemployed)
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#32. Morrow County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,819 people (166 unemployed)
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#31. Yamhill County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 55,425 people (1,624 unemployed)
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#30. Clackamas County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 222,812 people (6,537 unemployed)
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#29. Sherman County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 963 people (30 unemployed)
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#28. Multnomah County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 460,223 people (14,204 unemployed)
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#27. Union County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,788 people (381 unemployed)
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#26. Malheur County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,465 people (394 unemployed)
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#25. Clatsop County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,016 people (615 unemployed)
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#24. Polk County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 42,013 people (1,329 unemployed)
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#23. Deschutes County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 100,188 people (3,214 unemployed)
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#22. Marion County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 167,547 people (5,340 unemployed)
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#21. Tillamook County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,973 people (395 unemployed)
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#20. Umatilla County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 37,055 people (1,210 unemployed)
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#19. Harney County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,720 people (128 unemployed)
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#18. Baker County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,182 people (247 unemployed)
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#17. Lane County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 176,737 people (5,991 unemployed)
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#16. Wasco County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,389 people (440 unemployed)
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#15. Linn County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 59,725 people (2,135 unemployed)
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#14. Columbia County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,658 people (915 unemployed)
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#13. Jackson County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 104,132 people (3,889 unemployed)
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#12. Gilliam County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 914 people (35 unemployed)
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#11. Lincoln County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 20,576 people (784 unemployed)
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#10. Curry County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,905 people (343 unemployed)
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#9. Jefferson County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,035 people (390 unemployed)
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#8. Coos County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,796 people (1,011 unemployed)
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#7. Lake County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,572 people (143 unemployed)
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#6. Wallowa County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,586 people (146 unemployed)
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#5. Douglas County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 45,621 people (1,878 unemployed)
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#4. Klamath County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 29,072 people (1,210 unemployed)
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#3. Josephine County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 35,810 people (1,490 unemployed)
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#2. Crook County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,027 people (507 unemployed)
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#1. Grant County
– May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,147 people (151 unemployed)
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.