Lewis County’s Unemployment Rate Drops, On Par With Pre-Pandemic

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Lewis County and nearly all its neighbors saw unemployment fall slightly in June, according to the state Employment Security Department’s (ESD) newest report.

Unadjusted, Lewis County dipped slightly from 5.9% to 5.7%, hovering slightly above the state’s average of 5.3%. In June of 2019, before the pandemic, Lewis County’s unemployment rate was at a similar 6%.

Currently, the county is seeing a slightly lower rate of unemployment than some of its neighbors, including Pacific at 7.7%, Grays Harbor at 7.6%, Wahkiakum at 6.4%, Cowlitz at 5.3% and Yakima at 6.6%.

Thurston County boasts a 4.9% rate, Pierce a 5.8%, Skamania is at 5.9% and Clark 5.3%.



According to the monthly report, Washington state’s seasonally adjusted rate of 5.2% is slightly lower than the nation’s 5.9%.

The state is estimated to have gained 24,100 non-farm jobs in June, the most since this March.

Those gains came mostly in the education and health services field, followed by professional and business services and then leisure and hospitality. Financial activities saw the biggest loss in June.