Updated unemployment statistics for each county can be found at: esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/monthly-employment-report.
After a near return to pre-pandemic employment numbers in October, Lewis County’s unemployment rate rose 1.1% from the end of October through December 2020.
The county was at a 7.4% unemployment rate in December, compared to 6.3% in October, according to the latest numbers released by the state Employment Security Department (ESD) on Tuesday.
In comparison, unemployment numbers for the county were 6.3% in February and 6.1% in March 2020. The rate reached its peak at 16.3% in April. The county is just above the statewide average of 7.2%, while the state’s economy decreased by 9,900 jobs in December.
Lewis County has a civilian labor force of 34,025, according to the ESD. Of those workers, 31,499 were employed in December and 2,526 were unemployed.
Neighboring counties also saw a rise in unemployment in December. Thurston County went from a 5.7% in October to 6.5% in December; Grays Harbor County increased from 8.6% to 10.1%; Pacific County went from 8.1% to 10.7%; Cowlitz from 6.9% to 7.7%; and Pierce County from 6.9% to 7.6%.
Pacific County, at 10.7%, had the highest unemployment rate in the state, while Grays Harbor County and Ferry County each had the second highest at 10.1%.
To view more job data online, visit esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/monthly-employment-report.
