CREATING A STRONG ECONOMY
Oregon Workforce & Economic Update March 2022 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
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 countries 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%). 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%) . n
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The Business Review | April 2022
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