Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Washington

Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Garfield County had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 39 counties in 2021, at 11%. Columbia County had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 5.7% and the figure for Washington was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest11Garfield County
Lowest2.6Columbia County
Median5.739 counties
Washington5.1History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 7.4 %Asotin County: 5.6 %Benton County: 5 %Chelan County: 4 %Clallam County: 6.2 %Clark County: 5.3 %Columbia County: 2.6 %Cowlitz County: 6.1 %Douglas County: 3.9 %Ferry County: 7.2 %Franklin County: 5.7 %Garfield County: 11 %Grant County: 5.2 %Grays Harbor County: 6.9 %Island County: 6.1 %Jefferson County: 7.6 %King County: 4.6 %Kitsap County: 4.6 %Kittitas County: 6.7 %Klickitat County: 6.9 %Lewis County: 7.1 %Lincoln County: 5.1 %Mason County: 6.3 %Okanogan County: 6.5 %Pacific County: 5.1 %Pend Oreille County: 6.5 %Pierce County: 5 %San Juan County: 3 %Skagit County: 4.9 %Skamania County: 6.1 %Snohomish County: 4.4 %Spokane County: 5.7 %Stevens County: 5.4 %Thurston County: 5.7 %Wahkiakum County: 4.3 %Walla Walla County: 6.3 %Whatcom County: 5.1 %Whitman County: 7.5 %Yakima County: 7.1 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 5.1
  • 5.1 to 5.7
  • 5.7 to 6.3
  • 6.3 to 7
  • 7 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Garfield County: 11 %Garfield County11Jefferson County: 7.6 %Jefferson County7.6Whitman County: 7.5 %Whitman County7.5Adams County: 7.4 %Adams County7.4Ferry County: 7.2 %Ferry County7.2Yakima County: 7.1 %Yakima County7.1Lewis County: 7.1 %Lewis County7.1Grays Harbor County: 6.9 %Grays Harbor County6.9Klickitat County: 6.9 %Klickitat County6.9Kittitas County: 6.7 %Kittitas County6.7Pend Oreille County: 6.5 %Pend Oreille County6.5Okanogan County: 6.5 %Okanogan County6.5Mason County: 6.3 %Mason County6.3Walla Walla County: 6.3 %Walla Walla County6.3Clallam County: 6.2 %Clallam County6.2Cowlitz County: 6.1 %Cowlitz County6.1Island County: 6.1 %Island County6.1Skamania County: 6.1 %Skamania County6.1Thurston County: 5.7 %Thurston County5.7Spokane County: 5.7 %Spokane County5.7Franklin County: 5.7 %Franklin County5.7Asotin County: 5.6 %Asotin County5.6Stevens County: 5.4 %Stevens County5.4Clark County: 5.3 %Clark County5.3Grant County: 5.2 %Grant County5.2Pacific County: 5.1 %Pacific County5.1Lincoln County: 5.1 %Lincoln County5.1Whatcom County: 5.1 %Whatcom County5.1Pierce County: 5 %Pierce County5Benton County: 5 %Benton County5Skagit County: 4.9 %Skagit County4.9Kitsap County: 4.6 %Kitsap County4.6King County: 4.6 %King County4.6Snohomish County: 4.4 %Snohomish County4.4Wahkiakum County: 4.3 %Wahkiakum County4.3Chelan County: 4 %Chelan County4Douglas County: 3.9 %Douglas County3.9San Juan County: 3 %San Juan County3Columbia County: 2.6 %Columbia County2.6Garfield County: 11 %Garfield County11Jefferson County: 7.6 %Jefferson County7.6Whitman County: 7.5 %Whitman County7.5Adams County: 7.4 %Adams County7.4Ferry County: 7.2 %Ferry County7.2Yakima County: 7.1 %Yakima County7.1Lewis County: 7.1 %Lewis County7.1Grays Harbor County: 6.9 %Grays Harbor County6.9Klickitat County: 6.9 %Klickitat County6.9Kittitas County: 6.7 %Kittitas County6.7Pend Oreille County: 6.5 %Pend Oreille County6.5Okanogan County: 6.5 %Okanogan County6.5Mason County: 6.3 %Mason County6.3Walla Walla County: 6.3 %Walla Walla County6.3Clallam County: 6.2 %Clallam County6.2Cowlitz County: 6.1 %Cowlitz County6.1Island County: 6.1 %Island County6.1Skamania County: 6.1 %Skamania County6.1Thurston County: 5.7 %Thurston County5.7Spokane County: 5.7 %Spokane County5.7Franklin County: 5.7 %Franklin County5.7Asotin County: 5.6 %Asotin County5.6Stevens County: 5.4 %Stevens County5.4Clark County: 5.3 %Clark County5.3Grant County: 5.2 %Grant County5.2Pacific County: 5.1 %Pacific County5.1Lincoln County: 5.1 %Lincoln County5.1Whatcom County: 5.1 %Whatcom County5.1Pierce County: 5 %Pierce County5Benton County: 5 %Benton County5Skagit County: 4.9 %Skagit County4.9Kitsap County: 4.6 %Kitsap County4.6King County: 4.6 %King County4.6Snohomish County: 4.4 %Snohomish County4.4Wahkiakum County: 4.3 %Wahkiakum County4.3Chelan County: 4 %Chelan County4Douglas County: 3.9 %Douglas County3.9San Juan County: 3 %San Juan County3Columbia County: 2.6 %Columbia County2.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Garfield County11
2Jefferson County7.6
3Whitman County7.5
4Adams County7.4
5Ferry County7.2
6Yakima County7.1
7Lewis County7.1
8Grays Harbor County6.9
9Klickitat County6.9
10Kittitas County6.7
11Pend Oreille County6.5
12Okanogan County6.5
13Mason County6.3
14Walla Walla County6.3
15Clallam County6.2
16Cowlitz County6.1
17Island County6.1
18Skamania County6.1
19Thurston County5.7
20Spokane County5.7
21Franklin County5.7
22Asotin County5.6
23Stevens County5.4
24Clark County5.3
25Grant County5.2
26Pacific County5.1
27Lincoln County5.1
28Whatcom County5.1
29Pierce County5
30Benton County5
31Skagit County4.9
32Kitsap County4.6
33King County4.6
34Snohomish County4.4
35Wahkiakum County4.3
36Chelan County4
37Douglas County3.9
38San Juan County3
39Columbia County2.6

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_washington_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Garfield County, with 11% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Columbia County, with 2.6% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Washington: more rankings