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 Oregon using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
Tomas Nevesely // Shutterstock
1 / 36#36. Wheeler County
- Current unemployment rate: 2.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 736 (20 unemployed)
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
2 / 36#35. Sherman County
- Current unemployment rate: 2.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 966 (28 unemployed)
Sam Beebe // Wikimedia Commons
3 / 36#34. Hood River County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.1%
- Total labor force: 15,530 (467 unemployed)
M.O. Stevens // Wikimedia Commons
4 / 36#33. Washington County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 339,326 (11,505 unemployed)
cpaulfell // Shutterstock
5 / 36#32. Benton County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.2%
- Total labor force: 48,412 (1,714 unemployed)
Mrgadget51 // Wikimedia Commons
6 / 36#31. Clackamas County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 230,317 (8,417 unemployed)
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
7 / 36#30. Morrow County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 6,188 (231 unemployed)
M.O. Stevens // Wikimedia Commons
8 / 36#29. Yamhill County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 57,356 (2,094 unemployed)
Tedder // Wikimedia Commons
9 / 36#28. Gilliam County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 868 (33 unemployed)
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA // Wikimedia Commons
10 / 36#27. Malheur County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: +0.4%
- Total labor force: 12,746 (478 unemployed)
Ian Poellet // Wikimedia Commons
11 / 36#26. Deschutes County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.1%
- Total labor force: 105,090 (4,091 unemployed)
Stuart Seeger // Wikicommons
12 / 36#25. Multnomah County
- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 475,719 (18,528 unemployed)
Sam Beebe // Wikimedia Commons
13 / 36#24. Wallowa County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 3,803 (154 unemployed)
Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
14 / 36#23. Wasco County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 12,997 (520 unemployed)
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
15 / 36#22. Baker County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.2%
- Total labor force: 7,626 (315 unemployed)
Ken Lund // Wikimedia Commons
16 / 36#21. Harney County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 3,859 (157 unemployed)
Edmund Garman // Flickr
17 / 36#20. Marion County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.1%
- Total labor force: 169,566 (6,897 unemployed)
Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US // Wikimedia Commons
18 / 36#19. Polk County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 42,589 (1,728 unemployed)
English: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives // Wikimedia Commons
19 / 36#18. Clatsop County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 19,911 (837 unemployed)
USFWS Headquarters' photostream // Wikimedia Commons
20 / 36#17. Tillamook County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 12,627 (530 unemployed)
Little Mountain 5 // Wikicommons
21 / 36#16. Jackson County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 108,582 (4,812 unemployed)
Williamborg // Wikimedia Commons
22 / 36#15. Union County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.3%
- Total labor force: 12,209 (536 unemployed)
Ken Lund // Wikimedia Commons
23 / 36#14. Lake County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 3,686 (167 unemployed)
Lauram12345 // Wikicommons
24 / 36#13. Lane County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.1%
- Total labor force: 183,962 (8,289 unemployed)
Jmabel // Wikimedia Commons
25 / 36#12. Linn County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 61,357 (2,759 unemployed)
Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
26 / 36#11. Columbia County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 25,460 (1,174 unemployed)
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
27 / 36#10. Grant County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.2%
- Total labor force: 3,230 (148 unemployed)
Gancayco // Wikimedia Commons
28 / 36#9. Umatilla County
- Current unemployment rate: 4.8%
--- 1 month change: +0.4%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 38,983 (1,863 unemployed)
English: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives // Wikimedia Commons
29 / 36#8. Douglas County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 48,206 (2,439 unemployed)
Finetooth // Wikimedia Commons
30 / 36#7. Jefferson County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 10,683 (542 unemployed)
EncMstr // Wikimedia Commons
31 / 36#6. Lincoln County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 21,555 (1,099 unemployed)
Cacophony // Wikimedia Commons
32 / 36#5. Crook County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 11,507 (594 unemployed)
Joseph Novak // Wikicommons
33 / 36#4. Josephine County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 37,470 (1,948 unemployed)
Manuela Durson // Shutterstock
34 / 36#3. Curry County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 9,396 (497 unemployed)
Debbie Tegtmeier // Wikimedia Commons
35 / 36#2. Coos County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 26,657 (1,428 unemployed)
Bobjgalindo // Wikimedia Commons
36 / 36#1. Klamath County
- Current unemployment rate: 5.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: +0.1%
- Total labor force: 30,521 (1,636 unemployed)
