Counties in Washington by unemployment rate

Ferry County had the highest unemployment rate of 39 counties in January 2026, at 9.4%. Asotin County had the lowest, at 3.5%. The median was 5.9% and the figure for Washington was 5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest9.4Ferry County
Lowest3.5Asotin County
Median5.939 counties
Washington5History

All counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Ferry CountyFerry County: 9.4 %9.4Grant CountyGrant County: 8.3 %8.3Yakima CountyYakima County: 7.8 %7.8Pend Oreille CountyPend Oreille County: 7.4 %7.4Wahkiakum CountyWahkiakum County: 7.3 %7.3Okanogan CountyOkanogan County: 7.1 %7.1Stevens CountyStevens County: 7 %7Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 6.9 %6.9Pacific CountyPacific County: 6.9 %6.9Adams CountyAdams County: 6.7 %6.7Franklin CountyFranklin County: 6.6 %6.6Douglas CountyDouglas County: 6.5 %6.5Grays Harbor CountyGrays Harbor County: 6.4 %6.4Lewis CountyLewis County: 6.4 %6.4Pierce CountyPierce County: 6.4 %6.4Cowlitz CountyCowlitz County: 6 %6Mason CountyMason County: 6 %6Snohomish CountySnohomish County: 6 %6Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 5.9 %5.9Klickitat CountyKlickitat County: 5.9 %5.9Chelan CountyChelan County: 5.7 %5.7Clallam CountyClallam County: 5.7 %5.7King CountyKing County: 5.7 %5.7Kittitas CountyKittitas County: 5.6 %5.6Benton CountyBenton County: 5.5 %5.5Skagit CountySkagit County: 5.5 %5.5Columbia CountyColumbia County: 5.4 %5.4Skamania CountySkamania County: 5.4 %5.4Spokane CountySpokane County: 5.1 %5.1Walla Walla CountyWalla Walla County: 5.1 %5.1Clark CountyClark County: 5 %5Garfield CountyGarfield County: 5 %5Island CountyIsland County: 5 %5Whatcom CountyWhatcom County: 5 %5Thurston CountyThurston County: 4.9 %4.9Kitsap CountyKitsap County: 4.8 %4.8San Juan CountySan Juan County: 4.6 %4.6Whitman CountyWhitman County: 4.1 %4.1Asotin CountyAsotin County: 3.5 %3.5
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Ferry County9.4+0.6 pts
2Grant County8.3+0.9 pts
3Yakima County7.8+0.4 pts
4Pend Oreille County7.4+0.4 pts
5Wahkiakum County7.3+0.2 pts
6Okanogan County7.1+0.3 pts
7Stevens County7-0.1 pts
8Lincoln County6.9+0.4 pts
8Pacific County6.90 pts
10Adams County6.7-0.4 pts
11Franklin County6.6+0.2 pts
12Douglas County6.5+0.1 pts
13Grays Harbor County6.4-0.1 pts
13Lewis County6.4+0.2 pts
13Pierce County6.4+1.7 pts
16Cowlitz County6+0.5 pts
16Mason County6+0.2 pts
16Snohomish County6+1.6 pts
19Jefferson County5.9+0.1 pts
19Klickitat County5.9+0.1 pts
21Chelan County5.7+0.1 pts
21Clallam County5.7-0.1 pts
21King County5.7+1.6 pts
24Kittitas County5.6+0.6 pts
25Benton County5.5+0.2 pts
25Skagit County5.5+0.3 pts
27Columbia County5.4+0.9 pts
27Skamania County5.4-0.1 pts
29Spokane County5.1+0.1 pts
29Walla Walla County5.1+0.4 pts
31Clark County5+0.4 pts
31Garfield County5-0.5 pts
31Island County50 pts
31Whatcom County5+0.4 pts
35Thurston County4.9+0.3 pts
36Kitsap County4.8+0.2 pts
37San Juan County4.6-0.3 pts
38Whitman County4.1+0.3 pts
39Asotin County3.5-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Ferry County, with 9.4% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Asotin County, with 3.5% in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Washington: more rankings