Counties with the highest unemployment rate in California
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as bandy around the idea of a by 2023. The last economic recession鈥攖he Great Recession of 2008-2010鈥攕ent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate , ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in California using data from the . Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
#58. San Mateo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 456,969 (8,898 unemployed)
#57. San Francisco
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 577,441 (12,192 unemployed)
#56. Santa Clara County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 1,057,241 (22,390 unemployed)
#55. Marin County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 130,393 (2,807 unemployed)
#54. Placer County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 193,213 (4,868 unemployed)
#53. San Luis Obispo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 137,505 (3,384 unemployed)
#52. Sierra County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 1,417 (36 unemployed)
#51. Sonoma County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 250,797 (6,366 unemployed)
#50. Napa County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 70,669 (1,855 unemployed)
#49. Nevada County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 48,584 (1,317 unemployed)
#48. Orange County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 1,603,801 (43,764 unemployed)
#47. Santa Barbara County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 226,433 (6,053 unemployed)
#46. El Dorado County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 93,036 (2,562 unemployed)
#45. Inyo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 8,393 (236 unemployed)
#44. Alameda County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 830,392 (23,864 unemployed)
#43. Calaveras County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 22,199 (653 unemployed)
#42. Contra Costa County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 554,742 (17,023 unemployed)
#41. Mendocino County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 38,198 (1,195 unemployed)
#40. San Diego County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 1,584,822 (48,605 unemployed)
#39. Yolo County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 109,010 (3,392 unemployed)
#38. Humboldt County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 60,833 (1,960 unemployed)
#37. Lassen County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 9,227 (297 unemployed)
#36. Ventura County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 413,694 (13,498 unemployed)
#35. Mono County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 8,756 (295 unemployed)
#34. Santa Cruz County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 137,579 (4,722 unemployed)
#33. Trinity County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 4,561 (156 unemployed)
#32. Sacramento County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 726,207 (25,707 unemployed)
#31. Modoc County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 3,268 (119 unemployed)
#30. Butte County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 93,445 (3,492 unemployed)
#29. Mariposa County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 7,473 (274 unemployed)
#28. Amador County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 14,530 (551 unemployed)
#27. San Bernardino County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.6%
- Total labor force: 1,020,341 (38,960 unemployed)
#26. Shasta County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 72,377 (2,783 unemployed)
#25. Solano County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 201,406 (7,695 unemployed)
#24. Tuolumne County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 19,953 (754 unemployed)
#23. San Benito County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 33,063 (1,299 unemployed)
#22. Monterey County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 219,617 (8,884 unemployed)
#21. Riverside County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 1,166,597 (46,122 unemployed)
#20. Tehama County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.8%
- Total labor force: 26,227 (1,059 unemployed)
#19. Lake County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 29,104 (1,232 unemployed)
#18. Del Norte County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 9,593 (413 unemployed)
#17. Siskiyou County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 16,755 (728 unemployed)
#16. Plumas County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.8%
- Total labor force: 7,826 (347 unemployed)
#15. Glenn County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 12,745 (570 unemployed)
#14. Los Angeles County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -3.1%
- Total labor force: 4,942,325 (220,867 unemployed)
#13. Stanislaus County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 241,208 (11,509 unemployed)
#12. San Joaquin County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -2.4%
- Total labor force: 338,361 (16,416 unemployed)
#11. Yuba County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 31,065 (1,521 unemployed)
#10. Alpine County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -3.7%
- Total labor force: 457 (23 unemployed)
#9. Madera County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 63,269 (3,264 unemployed)
#8. Sutter County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 45,944 (2,432 unemployed)
#7. Fresno County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 455,311 (24,764 unemployed)
#6. Kings County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 56,252 (3,241 unemployed)
#5. Merced County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 119,118 (7,193 unemployed)
#4. Kern County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.2%
- Total labor force: 392,678 (24,199 unemployed)
#3. Colusa County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 11,441 (798 unemployed)
#2. Tulare County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 205,963 (15,378 unemployed)
#1. Imperial County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 70,455 (11,285 unemployed)