Counties with the highest unemployment in Utah
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 Utah, 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 Utah.
#29. Rich County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,000 people (38 unemployed)
#28. Grand County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,439 people (219 unemployed)
#27. Kane County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,459 people (135 unemployed)
#26. Morgan County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,272 people (187 unemployed)
#25. Daggett County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 491 people (15 unemployed)
#24. Juab County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,528 people (212 unemployed)
#23. Millard County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,718 people (215 unemployed)
#22. Cache County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 69,458 people (2,244 unemployed)
#21. Wasatch County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,707 people (626 unemployed)
#20. Summit County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,089 people (885 unemployed)
#19. Box Elder County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,190 people (983 unemployed)
#18. Davis County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 194,716 people (6,572 unemployed)
#17. Iron County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,931 people (1,000 unemployed)
#16. Salt Lake County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 707,000 people (25,368 unemployed)
#15. Utah County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 352,119 people (12,918 unemployed)
#14. Washington County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 91,174 people (3,507 unemployed)
#13. Weber County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 143,084 people (5,383 unemployed)
#12. Wayne County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,756 people (69 unemployed)
#11. Duchesne County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,710 people (340 unemployed)
#10. Beaver County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,953 people (118 unemployed)
#9. Tooele County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,967 people (1,606 unemployed)
#8. Garfield County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,174 people (130 unemployed)
#7. Emery County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,833 people (199 unemployed)
#6. Sevier County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,593 people (431 unemployed)
#5. Sanpete County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,615 people (564 unemployed)
#4. Uintah County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,796 people (671 unemployed)
#3. San Juan County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,944 people (301 unemployed)
#2. Carbon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,487 people (432 unemployed)
#1. Piute County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 506 people (28 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
