All of Oregon’s 36 counties saw decreases in unemployment rates in August, according to the Oregon Employment Department, though many continue to rest above the national unemployment rate.
Since the Oregon Employment Department’s data references last month, it does not take into account the impact of wildfires across the state in recent weeks, the department said.
The most nonfarm job losses spanning the year, from August 2019 to August 2020, occurred on the Oregon Coast. As a whole, the coast region saw more than a 10% increase in unemployment over the year, according to the state Employment Department. Many coastal counties still have unemployment rates above the state and national rates, even as they continue to regain jobs.
Lincoln County had Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in August, at 10.6%, according to the Employment Department. However, it also saw the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease – falling 4.9% from July to August.
Other counties with some of the highest rates were Multnomah at 9.7%, Jefferson, at 9.1%, and Curry at 9%.
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rested at 7.7% in August. The country’s seasonally adjusted rate for the same month was 8.4%.
