Unemployment in Oregon, May 20

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April at 5.3 percent. Harney County (11.1%) registered the highest rate for the month. Fourteen of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 6.9 percent and seven were at or below the nationwide rate of 6.3 percent. Crook County saw the largest improvement in its unemployment rate over the year with a drop of 1.8 percentage points.  Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in four of Oregon’s six broad regions between April 2013 and April 2014. The largest job gains occurred in Portland (+2.1%) and the Willamette Valley (2.0%). Central Oregon (+1.2%) and Eastern Oregon (+0.6%) also saw job growth over the year. Southern Oregon (-0.1%) and the Oregon Coast (-0.1%) saw employment declines.