{"h1":"Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Pacific Northwest","faq":[{"a":"Chelan County has the lowest unemployment rate in the Pacific Northwest among large counties: 3.1%, against 4.1% for the typical large county.","q":"Which county ranks first: counties with the lowest unemployment in the pacific northwest?"},{"a":"43 counties have at least 20,000 people in the labor force, so the list has 43 entries.","q":"How many counties are ranked?"},{"a":"A county's score is its unemployment rate, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted. The lowest rate ranks first. Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force are ranked, so small counties do not swing the list. Local rates are estimates and move from month to month.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Chelan County has the lowest unemployment rate in the Pacific Northwest among large counties: 3.1%, against 4.1% for the typical large county.","minN":20000,"rows":[{"n":42163,"bar":1,"key":"53007","sub":"WA","href":"/places/washington/county/chelan-county","name":"Chelan County","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"A year ago","value":"3.3%"},{"label":"People in the labor force","value":"42,163"},{"label":"Population","value":"79,518"}],"value":3.1,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"3.1%"},{"n":261925,"bar":0.96875,"key":"53063","sub":"WA","href":"/places/washington/county/spokane-county","name":"Spokane County","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"A year ago","value":"3.6%"},{"label":"People in the labor 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The lowest rate ranks first.","Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force are ranked, so small counties do not swing the list. Local rates are estimates and move from month to month."],"builtAt":"2026-11-03T03:39:06.218Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"lowunemp","sources":["Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (not seasonally adjusted)"],"baseline":{"label":"the typical large county","valueLabel":"4.1%"},"keyFacts":["#1 Chelan County, WA: 3.1%","#2 Spokane County, WA: 3.2%","#3 Walla Walla County, WA: 3.2%","43 counties ranked in the Pacific Northwest","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"counties","commentary":["The top ten is tightly packed: Chelan County leads on 3.1%, and #10 Benton County is at 3.5%.","Whitman County reaches #7 on a sample of 21,492 people in the labor force, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.","Spokane County is the largest market in the top ten, with 261,925 people in the labor force behind its figure.","Counties with fewer than 20,000 people in the labor force are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-lowest-unemployment-in-the-pacific-northwest"}