By Oregon Employment Department,
In December 2021, all of Oregon’s 36 counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. Eight counties experienced a 0.3 percentage point decrease or more over the month including Clatsop, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Hood River, Jefferson, Klamath, and Wasco counties.
Grant County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December at 5.9%. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates included Klamath (5.7%), Crook (5.6%), Curry (5.6%), and Lincoln (5.5%).
Wheeler County registered the lowest unemployment rate for the month at 2.8%. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December were Benton (3.1%), Washington (3.4%), and Hood River (3.6%). Twelve counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 4.1%. Ten counties also had unemployment rates at or below the nationwide rate of 3.9%.
Oregon county map entitled “Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate, December 2021”. The unemployment was the highest in Grant County (5.9%). The unemployment rate was lowest in Wheeler County (2.8%).
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between December 2020 and December 2021. Most areas still have room to recover from pandemic job losses. The largest job increases since December 2020 occurred in the Central Oregon (6.5%) region. The Willamette Valley (6.0%) and Portland 5 area (5.4%) also experienced large over-the-year employment increases. Southern Oregon, the Coast, and Eastern Oregon regions added 2.6%, 2.8%, and 2.8%, respectively.
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