Grays Harbor and Pacific County tied for second highest average unemployment rates in 2021

Grays Harbor, WA – Grays Harbor’s yearly unemployment rate average was tied with Pacific County as the second highest in the state for 2021.

According to the Employment Security Department’s non seasonally adjusted numbers, the yearly average rate for both Grays Harbor and Pacific County was 7.1%, lower than only Ferry County at 7.9% and just higher than Pend Oreille at 6.9%.

The numbers also showed that Grays Harbor’s unemployment rate remained at 5.5% from November to December but dropped from the third to fifth highest in the state along with Adams and Franklin Counties.

Pacific County saw its rate drop from 5.5% in November to 5.2% in December and that dropped it to the ninth highest in the state.

Last year in December the unemployment rates for both Grays Harbor and Pacific County were 9.5% and 10.1% respectively.

The average unemployment rates for 2020 were 11.7% in Grays Harbor and 11.2% in Pacific County.

In 2019, before the pandemic, the yearly averages for both counties was 7%.

Grays Harbor	November 2021	December 2021*	December 2020	2021 Avg.*	2020 Avg.	2019 Avg.
Labor Force	29,455	30,029	28,314	28,329	29,028	28,868
Total Employment	27,842	28,383	25,634	26,331	25,626	26,834
Total Unemployment	1,613	1,646	2,680	1,998	3,402	2,034
Unemployment Rate	5.5%	5.5%	9.5%	7.1%	11.7%	7.0%

*Latest month non-seasonally adjusted

Pacific County	November 2021	December 2021*	December 2020	2021 Avg.*	2020 Avg.	2019 Avg.
Labor Force	8,748	8,860	7,691	8,419	8,166	8,516
Total Employment	8,268	8,397	6,912	7,825	7,252	7,922
Total Unemployment	480	463	779	594	914	594
Unemployment Rate	5.5%	5.2%	10.1%	7.1%	11.2%	7.0%

*Latest month non-seasonally adjusted