The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Washington, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Key takeaways: Jobs report reveals cooling labor market
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Washington.
39. King County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,367,149 people (41,216 unemployed)
38. Snohomish County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 466,086 people (14,761 unemployed)
37. Asotin County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,394 people (363 unemployed)
36. Whitman County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,820 people (914 unemployed)
35. San Juan County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,693 people (331 unemployed)
34. Kitsap County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 124,926 people (5,544 unemployed)
33. Walla Walla County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,790 people (1,287 unemployed)
31. Thurston County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 146,769 people (6,792 unemployed)
31. Chelan County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,892 people (2,138 unemployed)
30. Whatcom County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 109,953 people (5,217 unemployed)
29. Spokane County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 257,867 people (12,504 unemployed)
28. Island County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,388 people (1,728 unemployed)
27. Clark County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 236,259 people (11,717 unemployed)
24. Kittitas County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,952 people (1,285 unemployed)
24. Lincoln County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,391 people (224 unemployed)
24. Klickitat County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,798 people (496 unemployed)
22. Skagit County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 60,543 people (3,148 unemployed)
22. Benton County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 103,949 people (5,414 unemployed)
20. Columbia County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,652 people (89 unemployed)
20. Pierce County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 441,863 people (23,689 unemployed)
18. Douglas County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,954 people (1,204 unemployed)
18. Cowlitz County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,874 people (2,587 unemployed)
17. Jefferson County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,822 people (675 unemployed)
16. Skamania County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,342 people (308 unemployed)
15. Adams County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,931 people (589 unemployed)
14. Mason County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,958 people (1,504 unemployed)
13. Clallam County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,265 people (1,737 unemployed)
11. Garfield County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 715 people (44 unemployed)
11. Lewis County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,310 people (2,069 unemployed)
9. Okanogan County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,508 people (1,189 unemployed)
9. Wahkiakum County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,243 people (80 unemployed)
5. Grant County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,983 people (3,221 unemployed)
5. Franklin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,370 people (2,838 unemployed)
5. Pacific County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,983 people (537 unemployed)
5. Stevens County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,880 people (1,266 unemployed)
4. Pend Oreille County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,005 people (344 unemployed)
3. Grays Harbor County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,449 people (1,961 unemployed)
2. Yakima County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 122,155 people (9,213 unemployed)
1. Ferry County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,214 people (208 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
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