Bellingham, Whatcom Co., Washington: Unemployment rates rose across the board in July
Monthly unemployment rates for Bellingham, Whatcom County and Washington state all increased from June to July, according to data from the Washington State Employment Security Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Whatcom County
Whatcom County had a 5.1% unemployment rate in July, with 5,820 unemployed people in the county, an increase of 684 unemployed people compared to June.
In June, Whatcom County’s unemployment rate was 4.4% with 5,136 residents receiving unemployment benefits, a decrease compared to May.
Whatcom County’s unemployment rate increased compared to last year, as July 2023’s unemployment rate was 3.9%, with only 4,496 unemployed people.
Whatcom County’s unemployment rate hit an extreme high of 17.4% in April 2020.
Ferry County had the highest unemployment rate in July at 8.4%, and San Juan County had the lowest rate at 3.6%.
Bellingham’s unemployment rate increased month to month. The city’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in July, with 2,500 people unemployed, an increase from June’s 4.5% unemployment rate and 2,211 people unemployed.
Washington state
The Washington State Employment Security Department’s July 2024 monthly employment report found that the state’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from June to July.
In July, Washington’s unemployment rate was 4.9% with 196,669 people in the state unemployed. In June, the unemployment rate was 4.8%, with 1,785 less people unemployed than in July, according to the report.
In July 2023, 147,381 people in the state were unemployed, 49,288 fewer than last month.
This story was originally published August 24, 2024 at 1:06 PM.
