Counties with the highest unemployment in Washington
Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, stoking concern throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates.
As of September, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 260 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 37 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In October, these statistics were both lower than in previous months, indicating that the rate cuts may already be helping stabilize unemployment.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Washington, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in September 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.
In October, the health care and government sectors saw employment trend upward, while labor strikes contributed to a decline in manufacturing employment. However, the national unemployment rate still remains relatively low at 4.1% in October, unchanged from the previous month. It remains higher than it has otherwise been 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, 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. In September, South Carolina and Utah saw the biggest unemployment rate increases.
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 Washington.
#39. San Juan County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,034 people (261 unemployed)
#38. Asotin County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,621 people (310 unemployed)
#37. Chelan County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,221 people (1,539 unemployed)
#36. Adams County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,591 people (325 unemployed)
#35. Walla Walla County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 29,158 people (1,048 unemployed)
#34. Spokane County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 261,343 people (9,749 unemployed)
#33. Klickitat County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,077 people (381 unemployed)
#32. Okanogan County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,315 people (733 unemployed)
#31. Douglas County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 21,980 people (832 unemployed)
#30. Whitman County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,991 people (877 unemployed)
#29. Benton County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 104,930 people (4,035 unemployed)
#28. Kitsap County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 126,040 people (4,778 unemployed)
#27. Thurston County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 148,721 people (5,701 unemployed)
#26. Garfield County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 785 people (31 unemployed)
#25. Lincoln County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,675 people (185 unemployed)
#24. Jefferson County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,591 people (503 unemployed)
#23. Island County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,615 people (1,472 unemployed)
#22. Grant County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 48,832 people (1,964 unemployed)
#21. Columbia County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,667 people (69 unemployed)
#20. Skamania County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,391 people (219 unemployed)
#19. Whatcom County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 111,565 people (4,524 unemployed)
#18. Kittitas County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,384 people (979 unemployed)
#17. Skagit County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 61,495 people (2,556 unemployed)
#16. Clark County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 241,240 people (10,055 unemployed)
#15. Snohomish County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 456,631 people (19,385 unemployed)
#14. King County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.3 million people (56,488 unemployed)
#13. Franklin County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,386 people (1,842 unemployed)
#12. Stevens County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,906 people (838 unemployed)
#11. Pend Oreille County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,030 people (227 unemployed)
#10. Cowlitz County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,550 people (2,145 unemployed)
#9. Pierce County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 448,702 people (20,067 unemployed)
#8. Lewis County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,169 people (1,608 unemployed)
#7. Clallam County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 29,289 people (1,418 unemployed)
#6. Pacific County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,457 people (414 unemployed)
#5. Mason County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,816 people (1,228 unemployed)
#4. Yakima County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 120,686 people (5,909 unemployed)
#3. Grays Harbor County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 28,578 people (1,569 unemployed)
#2. Wahkiakum County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,322 people (74 unemployed)
#1. Ferry County
- September unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,220 people (138 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.