In March, unemployment rates declined in 35 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Wheeler County’s unemployment did not decline, but held steady over the month. Fifteen counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 3.8% in March.

Klamath County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (5.3%) in March. Other counties with relatively high unemployment rates were Curry (5.1%), Lincoln (5.0%), and Grant (5.0%). Benton County registered the lowest unemployment in March, at 2.9%. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in March included Hood River (3.0%), Wheeler (3.0%), and Washington (3.1%).

Map of seasonally adjusted unemployment rate by county in Oregon for March 2022. Klamath County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.3%. Benton County had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9%.

Between March 2021 and March 2022, total nonfarm employment rose in each of the six broad regions across Oregon. The five Portland metro counties in Oregon had combined job growth of 4.2% over the year, the fastest rate of any region. Employment also grew at a relatively fast pace in the Central Oregon region (3.8%) and the Willamette Valley (3.7%). Growth occurred at a slower pace in Eastern Oregon (1.8%), Southern Oregon (1.1%), and along the Coast (0.4%).

Bar chart of over-the-year employment change in Oregon by Region from March 2021 to March 2022. All regions experienced OTY increases in employment. The Portland-5 region experienced the largest job increases at 4.2% followed by Central Oregon (3.8%) and the Willamette Valley (3.7%). Slower growth occurred in Eastern Oregon (1.8%), Southern Oregon (1.1%), and along the Coast (0.4%).

Next News Releases

The Oregon Employment Department will release statewide unemployment rate and industry employment data for April 2022 on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. The April 2022 county and metropolitan area unemployment rates will be released on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

Read the original press release here. 



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