Counties with the highest unemployment in Washington
Counties with the highest unemployment in Washington
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Washington using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 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.
Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Washington.
#39. Snohomish County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 455,229 people (18,889 unemployed)
#38. King County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1.3 million people (54,509 unemployed)
#37. Asotin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,798 people (465 unemployed)
#36. Whitman County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,860 people (1,118 unemployed)
#35. San Juan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,372 people (400 unemployed)
#34. Kitsap County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 129,151 people (6,725 unemployed)
#33. Thurston County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 151,727 people (7,978 unemployed)
#32. Walla Walla County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,011 people (1,565 unemployed)
#31. Whatcom County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 114,951 people (6,211 unemployed)
#30. Columbia County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,809 people (99 unemployed)
#29. Island County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,826 people (2,033 unemployed)
#28. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 244,129 people (13,499 unemployed)
#27. Spokane County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 265,794 people (14,574 unemployed)
#26. Adams County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,486 people (535 unemployed)
#25. Benton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 105,322 people (5,874 unemployed)
#24. Douglas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,174 people (1,331 unemployed)
#23. Garfield County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 2.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 934 people (54 unemployed)
#22. Chelan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,541 people (2,424 unemployed)
#21. Skagit County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 61,164 people (3,584 unemployed)
#20. Pierce County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 456,668 people (27,310 unemployed)
#19. Cowlitz County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 48,977 people (3,027 unemployed)
#18. Kittitas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,584 people (1,479 unemployed)
#17. Lincoln County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,133 people (330 unemployed)
#16. Skamania County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,575 people (355 unemployed)
#15. Klickitat County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,432 people (617 unemployed)
#14. Jefferson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,514 people (822 unemployed)
#13. Clallam County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,833 people (1,975 unemployed)
#12. Lewis County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,831 people (2,416 unemployed)
#11. Grant County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 48,006 people (3,211 unemployed)
#10. Mason County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,360 people (1,825 unemployed)
#9. Pacific County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,827 people (628 unemployed)
#8. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,954 people (3,276 unemployed)
#7. Okanogan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,416 people (1,340 unemployed)
#6. Grays Harbor County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,419 people (2,289 unemployed)
#5. Pend Oreille County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,360 people (423 unemployed)
#4. Stevens County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,188 people (1,637 unemployed)
#3. Yakima County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 118,729 people (9,618 unemployed)
#2. Wahkiakum County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,478 people (127 unemployed)
#1. Ferry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 11.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,501 people (298 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
