State Jobless Rate, Aug. 19

Oregon’s unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent in July from 5.5 percent in June. The rate, which is based primarily on data from the Current Population Survey, can be volatile at times. Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped dramatically in the early months of 2015 and has bumped back up a little in more recent months. Despite the increase, Oregon’s unemployment rate was significantly below its year-ago figure of 7.0 percent in July 2014. Oregon’s rate remained close to the U.S. rate of 5.3 percent in July.