Grays Harbor holds 2nd highest statewide unemployment in April
The Grays Harbor unemployment rate dropped by over 1.5% from March to April, but the county moved into the 2nd highest rate statewide.
According to the Employment Security Department, the local unemployment rate dropped from 7.7% in March to 6.1% in April.
The Civilian Labor Force dropped by almost 1000 people for the month within the county.
In historical numbers, this larger drop in rate is typical between the months, although the 2023 difference is greater than seen in recent years.
Those figures were skewed in 2020 due to the pandemic, but drops of 0.5 to 1% are not unusual.
Within Pacific County, they also saw a 1.5% drop, down to 5.3% in April compared to 6.8% in March. The county saw approximately 150 people come off the labor force.
Pacific County sits at 9th highest unemployment statewide, up from 10th highest in March.
Ferry topped the unemployment rates among counties by a large margin, with the Eastern Washington county having an 8.1% rate.
King County has the lowest rate in the state at 2.6%.
| County | County labor force | Civilian Employment | Unemployment | Rate |
| Ferry | 2,249 | 2,066 | 183 | 8.10% |
| Grays Harbor | 29,331 | 27,533 | 1,798 | 6.10% |
| Stevens | 19,413 | 18,264 | 1,149 | 5.90% |
| Pend Oreille | 5,185 | 4,899 | 286 | 5.50% |
| Yakima | 130,282 | 123,137 | 7,145 | 5.50% |
| Franklin | 43,915 | 41,573 | 2,342 | 5.30% |
| Okanogan | 19,289 | 18,270 | 1,019 | 5.30% |
| Pacific | 8,691 | 8,229 | 462 | 5.30% |
| Wahkiakum | 1,396 | 1,322 | 74 | 5.30% |
| Lewis | 35,123 | 33,327 | 1,796 | 5.10% |
| Mason | 25,828 | 24,515 | 1,313 | 5.10% |
| Clallam | 28,809 | 27,424 | 1,385 | 4.80% |
| Grant | 47,741 | 45,452 | 2,289 | 4.80% |
| Kittitas | 22,750 | 21,651 | 1,099 | 4.80% |
| Garfield | 779 | 742 | 37 | 4.70% |
| Cowlitz | 49,368 | 47,087 | 2,281 | 4.60% |
| Jefferson | 12,616 | 12,032 | 584 | 4.60% |
| Klickitat | 9,993 | 9,534 | 459 | 4.60% |
| Skamania | 5,628 | 5,376 | 252 | 4.50% |
| Lincoln | 4,697 | 4,492 | 205 | 4.40% |
| Pierce | 459,948 | 439,890 | 20,058 | 4.40% |
| Douglas | 21,472 | 20,548 | 924 | 4.30% |
| Skagit | 61,980 | 59,400 | 2,580 | 4.20% |
| Adams | 9,542 | 9,154 | 388 | 4.10% |
| Benton | 107,404 | 103,039 | 4,365 | 4.10% |
| Columbia | 1,772 | 1,699 | 73 | 4.10% |
| Chelan | 43,975 | 42,235 | 1,740 | 4.00% |
| Clark | 251,973 | 242,009 | 9,964 | 4.00% |
| Island | 36,854 | 35,403 | 1,451 | 3.90% |
| Whatcom | 116,294 | 111,801 | 4,493 | 3.90% |
| Spokane | 266,438 | 256,274 | 10,164 | 3.80% |
| Thurston | 152,546 | 146,780 | 5,766 | 3.80% |
| Kitsap | 130,413 | 125,571 | 4,842 | 3.70% |
| Whitman | 23,881 | 23,011 | 870 | 3.60% |
| Walla Walla | 30,809 | 29,727 | 1,082 | 3.50% |
| San Juan | 8,361 | 8,086 | 275 | 3.30% |
| Asotin | 10,627 | 10,311 | 316 | 3.00% |
| Snohomish | 457,453 | 445,154 | 12,299 | 2.70% |
| King | 1,345,370 | 1,310,170 | 35,200 | 2.60% |
