Ferry County Unemployment Climbs to 6.8%, Stevens Rises to 4.9%

Unemployment increased across Stevens and Ferry counties in August, with Ferry County posting the highest unemployment rate in Washington, according to preliminary data from the Washington State Employment Security Department. Ferry County’s unemployment rate rose to 6.8% in August, up from 5.4% in July, and slightly above the 6.7% recorded in August 2025. Stevens County’s rate rose to 4.9%, up from 4.1% in July. Despite the month-to-month increase, unemployment remained below the 5.3% rate reported in August of last year.

The county figures are not seasonally adjusted, so they do not accommodate normal seasonal changes in employment, according to state employment officials. In Stevens County, the civilian labor force grew from 18,220 people in July to 18,595 in August, an increase of 375. Employment also increased from 17,470 to 17,675, but the number of people classified as unemployed climbed more quickly, increasing from 750 to 920. That combination pushed the county’s unemployment rate up eight-tenths of a percentage point. Compared with August 2025, however, the Stevens County numbers showed improvement.

The county had 17,599 employed residents and 976 unemployed residents a year earlier, producing an unemployment rate of 5.3%. That means Stevens County had 76 more employed residents in August 2026 than a year earlier while the number of unemployed residents declined by 56. Ferry County experienced a sharper month-to-month increase in unemployment. The county’s labor force increased from 2,354 people in July to 2,424 in August. Employment rose by 34 – from 2,226 to 2,260 – but the estimated number of unemployed residents climbed from 128 to 164.

As a result, Ferry County’s unemployment rate increased by 1.4 percentage points in a single month. Compared with August 2025, Ferry County’s labor force was 49 people larger and employment was up by 43. The number of unemployed residents increased from 158 to 164, however, leaving the unemployment rate slightly higher than the 6.7% reported a year ago. The local increases came during a month when Washington’s statewide labor market moved in a somewhat different direction on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Washington’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined from 5% in July to 4.9% in August, marking the second consecutive monthly decline after unemployment had generally climbed since late 2024. Statewide, the estimated number of unemployed residents fell by 5,335 from July to August, while the number of employed residents increased by 709. Over the previous year, however, Washington had 9,769 more unemployed workers and 19,700 fewer employed workers. Washington employers also shed an estimated 900 non-farm jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in August, following three consecutive months of job growth. Private employers lost approximately 9,000 jobs while public-sector employment increased by about 8,100.