County unemployment dips below 7%

The local jobless rate nudged back under 7% in April, new state data released last week showed.

Preliminary monthly figures from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD), which is based on data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, estimated Pacific County's unemployment rate at 6.8% in April — down from 7.3% in March but up considerably from the 5.5% rate in April 2025.

It's the highest jobless rate for Pacific County in the month of April since 2021.

The county's unemployment rate ranked 37th out of 39 Washington counties, worse than neighboring Grays Harbor and Lewis counties' 6.3% rates and better than only Wahkiakum and Ferry counties' 7.9% rates.

The statewide unemployment rate checked in at 5.1%, flat from March but up from the 4.2% rate last April. Seventeen counties had a jobless rate of 5.1% or less, led by Asotin County's 3.4% in the state's southeastern corner.

An estimated 6,130 people in Pacific County were employed in nonfarm jobs in April, up 1.2% from March but down 2.5% year-over-year. The figures exclude farm laborers, private household workers, business owners and nonprofit employees.

The local manufacturing industry saw some of the only positive movement compared to last April, with its workforce growing from an estimated 720 to 760 workers — an increase of 5.6%.

Jobs in the county's sizable leisure and hospitality industry declined by 7.2% year-over-year, from 970 to 900, while the local construction workforce shrank from 270 to 250, a decrease of 7.4%. The local financial services industry dropped from 250 to 220 jobs, a slide of 12%.

The local government workforce — not including those working for state or federal agencies — decreased from 1,700 to 1,660 jobs in April, a drop of 2.4%. Healthcare positions declined by 2.8%, dipping from 710 to 690 workers.