Central Oregon unemployment rates hold steady; job numbers up slightly over the past month and year
Barney Lerten
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Central Oregon were little changed this April, the Oregon Employment Department said Tuesday. Private nonfarm employment increased slightly over the past month and year in all three Central Oregon counties, while total nonfarm employment showed varied growth.
Here’s the full report KTVZ News received from Regional Economist Nicole Ramos:
Bend MSA (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties): Labor force statistics for Oregon metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Through June 2025, seasonally adjusted data are not available for Oregon MSAs or other MSAs around the country. New MSA definitions resulting from the 2020 Census are being incorporated into the history of the data series back to 1990, as well as other updates to the processing of labor force estimates for substate areas. Read more on this pause in seasonally adjusted metro area data here.
The Bend MSA gained 850 jobs (+0.8%) from March to April and total nonfarm employment is now 111,800. Job gains were concentrated within leisure and hospitality (+450 jobs); professional and business services (+130 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (+110 jobs); and the public sector (+110 jobs). Other notable supersector gains took place in private education and health services (+70 jobs) and manufacturing (+70 jobs). Losses were seen within trade, transportation, and utilities (-130 jobs) with the majority of losses occurring within the retail trade (-80 jobs) subsector.
Total nonfarm employment increased by 1.2% (+1,370 jobs) from April 2024 to April 2025. Over the year job gains were concentrated within private education and health services (+750 jobs); manufacturing (+420 jobs); professional and business services (+370 jobs); and the public sector (+250 jobs). Other notable gains took place in mining, logging, and construction (+140 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (+110 jobs). Over-the-year losses were largest within trade, transportation, and utilities (-580 jobs) with 460 jobs lost within the retail trade subsector. Smaller job losses were also recorded in information (-70 jobs), financial activities (-10 jobs), and other services (-10 jobs).
Crook County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly over the month of April and is now 5.1%, down from a rate of 5.2% in March—in April of last year, it was 5.5%. The unemployment rate remains 0.6 percentage point above the record low set before the pandemic, in late 2019, when it hit 4.5%.
Crook County saw an increase in total nonfarm employment over the month with a gain of 90 jobs (+1.2%) in April. These gains were primarily concentrated within leisure and hospitality (+50 jobs) and the public sector (+40 jobs), with smaller increases in professional and business services (+20 jobs) and construction (+20 jobs). Modest losses were also seen in manufacturing; wholesale trade; private education and health services; and other services (-10 jobs each).
Over the past year, the county lost 10 jobs (-0.1%). Losses were concentrated within public-sector employment, with a decline of 90 jobs over the year primarily in local government (-100 jobs). The private sector gained 80 jobs over the year.
Notable private-sector job gains occurred in professional and business services (+60 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+50 jobs); construction (+50 jobs); and private education and health services (+40 jobs). Over the year private-sector job losses were not as large and occurred within trade, transportation, and utilities (-60 jobs); manufacturing (-20 jobs); information (-20 jobs); and mining and logging (-20 jobs).
Deschutes County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% over the month of April, unchanged from March’s 4.3% rate. In April 2024 the unemployment rate was slightly lower at 4.1%. The unemployment rate is 1 percentage point above its record low of 3.3% before the onset of the pandemic.
Deschutes County gained 670 jobs (+0.7%) from March to April and total nonfarm employment is now 97,330. Job gains were recorded primarily within leisure and hospitality (+370 jobs) and professional and business services (+100 jobs).
Smaller but noteworthy gains also occurred within private education and health services (+80 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (+80 jobs); manufacturing (+80 jobs); and government (+60 jobs). Private-sector losses were weaker with losses concentrated within trade, transportation, and utilities (-140 jobs)—retail trade losing 80 jobs over the month.
Total nonfarm employment increased 1.1% (+1,040 jobs) from April 2024 to April 2025. Over-the-year job gains were strongest in private education and health services (+660 jobs); manufacturing (+440 jobs), specifically durable goods manufacturing (+340 jobs); and government (+240 jobs). Other notable gains took place in professional and business services (+130 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+80 jobs); and other services (+40 jobs).
The majority of over-the-year losses occurred within the trade, transportation, and utilities (-470 jobs) supersector with retail trade declining by 390 jobs. Smaller losses were also seen in information (-40 jobs); financial activities (-30 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (-10 jobs).
Jefferson County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged in April, holding steady at 4.6%. Last year, the unemployment rate was slightly lower at 4.5% in April. Shortly before the first impacts from COVID-19 were felt the rate was 4.3%.
Total nonfarm employment increased by 90 jobs in April (+1.3%). Private-sector gains were seen in leisure and hospitality (+30 jobs); professional and business services (+20); manufacturing (+10 jobs); construction (+10 jobs); and other services (+10 jobs). The public sector also gained 10 jobs over the month within local government. All other industries held steady over the month with little to no change.
Jefferson County’s total nonfarm employment rose by 130 jobs over the past year (+1.9%). Job gains were concentrated within the public sector (+110 jobs); professional and business services (+40 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (+40 jobs); and manufacturing (+40 jobs). Public-sector growth was driven by both local (+70 jobs) and state (+40 jobs) government employment. Notable job losses occurred within trade, transportation, and utilities (-40 jobs); leisure and hospitality (-30 jobs); and financial activities (-20 jobs).
Next Press Releases
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the May county and metropolitan area unemployment rates and employment survey data on Tuesday, June 24, and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for May on Wednesday, June 18.