Lewis County’s unemployment rate fell significantly in March, dropping 1.5% from February’s 7.9% to 6.4%, according to new data released by the Washington State Employment Security Department.
The new unemployment rate represents a return to nearly the same level as Lewis County’s rate one year earlier when it reached 6.3% in March 2022.
The March unemployment rate is Lewis County’s lowest since October when the unemployment rate was 5.8%.
The number of employed individuals rose by 521, from 33,108 in February to 33,629 in March, an increase of 1.57%. At the same time, the number of unemployed people decreased by 553, declining from 2,842 in February to 2,289 in March, for a decrease of 19.46%.
Overall, Lewis County’s workforce decreased by 32 people, for a 0.09% decrease from 35,950 people to 35,918.
Elsewhere, Lewis County’s neighbors all saw similar declines in their unemployment rates. Grays Harbor and Cowlitz counties both saw their unemployment rates fall 1.4% from February to March, decreasing from 9.1% to 7.7% and 7.2% to 5.8%, respectively.
Thurston County saw its unemployment rate fall 1.2%, from 5.9% in February to 4.7% in March. In Pacific County, the unemployment rate declined from 8.3% to 6.8%, a fall of 1.5%. Wahkiakum County’s unemployment rate fell 1.1% from February to March, declining from 8.6% to 7.5%.
Statewide, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.9% in February to 4.2% in March, a decline of 0.7%.
