Counties with the highest unemployment rate in California
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—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 October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in California using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
#58. San Mateo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 456,969 (8,898 unemployed)
#57. San Francisco
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 577,441 (12,192 unemployed)
#56. Santa Clara County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 1,057,241 (22,390 unemployed)
#55. Marin County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 130,393 (2,807 unemployed)
#54. Placer County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 193,213 (4,868 unemployed)
#53. San Luis Obispo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 137,505 (3,384 unemployed)
#52. Sierra County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 1,417 (36 unemployed)
#51. Sonoma County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 250,797 (6,366 unemployed)
#50. Napa County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 70,669 (1,855 unemployed)
#49. Nevada County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 48,584 (1,317 unemployed)
#48. Orange County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 1,603,801 (43,764 unemployed)
#47. Santa Barbara County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 226,433 (6,053 unemployed)
#46. El Dorado County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 93,036 (2,562 unemployed)
#45. Inyo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 8,393 (236 unemployed)
#44. Alameda County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 830,392 (23,864 unemployed)
#43. Calaveras County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 22,199 (653 unemployed)
#42. Contra Costa County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 554,742 (17,023 unemployed)
#41. Mendocino County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 38,198 (1,195 unemployed)
#40. San Diego County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 1,584,822 (48,605 unemployed)
#39. Yolo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 109,010 (3,392 unemployed)
#38. Humboldt County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 60,833 (1,960 unemployed)
#37. Lassen County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 9,227 (297 unemployed)
#36. Ventura County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 413,694 (13,498 unemployed)
#35. Mono County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 8,756 (295 unemployed)
#34. Santa Cruz County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 137,579 (4,722 unemployed)
#33. Trinity County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 4,561 (156 unemployed)
#32. Sacramento County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 726,207 (25,707 unemployed)
#31. Modoc County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 3,268 (119 unemployed)
#30. Butte County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 93,445 (3,492 unemployed)
#29. Mariposa County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 7,473 (274 unemployed)
#28. Amador County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 14,530 (551 unemployed)
#27. San Bernardino County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 1,020,341 (38,960 unemployed)
#26. Shasta County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 72,377 (2,783 unemployed)
#25. Solano County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 201,406 (7,695 unemployed)
#24. Tuolumne County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 19,953 (754 unemployed)
#23. San Benito County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 33,063 (1,299 unemployed)
#22. Monterey County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 219,617 (8,884 unemployed)
#21. Riverside County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 1,166,597 (46,122 unemployed)
#20. Tehama County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 26,227 (1,059 unemployed)
#19. Lake County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 29,104 (1,232 unemployed)
#18. Del Norte County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 9,593 (413 unemployed)
#17. Siskiyou County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 16,755 (728 unemployed)
#16. Plumas County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.8%
- Total labor force: 7,826 (347 unemployed)
#15. Glenn County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 12,745 (570 unemployed)
#14. Los Angeles County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -3.1%
- Total labor force: 4,942,325 (220,867 unemployed)
#13. Stanislaus County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 241,208 (11,509 unemployed)
#12. San Joaquin County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 338,361 (16,416 unemployed)
#11. Yuba County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 31,065 (1,521 unemployed)
#10. Alpine County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -3.7%
- Total labor force: 457 (23 unemployed)
#9. Madera County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 63,269 (3,264 unemployed)
#8. Sutter County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 45,944 (2,432 unemployed)
#7. Fresno County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 455,311 (24,764 unemployed)
#6. Kings County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 56,252 (3,241 unemployed)
#5. Merced County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 119,118 (7,193 unemployed)
#4. Kern County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 392,678 (24,199 unemployed)
#3. Colusa County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 11,441 (798 unemployed)
#2. Tulare County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 205,963 (15,378 unemployed)
#1. Imperial County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 70,455 (11,285 unemployed)