Unemployment rates drop in Grays Harbor/Pacific for April
The Grays Harbor and Pacific county unemployment rates dropped by over an entire percentage point between March and April.
Despite this drop, counties across the state also saw a decline month-to-month, according to data released by the Employment Security Department.
At 6.5%, a drop from 7.8% in March, Grays Harbor saw a change of 1.3%, but with the lower rates statewide, Grays Harbor sits at the 3rd highest unemployment rate within Washington.
Pacific unemployment figures dropped from 7.1% in March to an April rate of 6%, placing the county at 6th highest in the state.
In March, the counties had been listed as 6th highest for Grays Harbor and 8th for Pacific.
The Grays Harbor Civilian Labor Force dropped by over 800, while Total Unemployment also dropped by over 400. Pacific saw a similar path, with a Labor Force drop of around 600 and an Unemployment drop of around 130 people.
Both counties saw a decline in their Total Employment at the same time.
Even with the higher numbers, as compared to other counties, locally these figures are among historic lows for the month. This trend mirrors national unemployment rates at historically low levels.
A 6.5% rate for Grays Harbor ties the 2022 April rate, although is higher than the 6.1% recorded in 2023 as the county saw record lows throughout the year.
For Pacific, the 6% rate is lower than every other April since 1990, aside from the 2023 rate of 5.3%.
If the rates continue to fall on the same yearly trends, 2024 could see the lowest recorded unemployment rates for both counties.
Statewide the unemployment rate in Washington remained at 4.8% from the prior month, with the national unemployment rate increasing from 3.8% in March to 3.9% in April.