Unemployment rate was steady in October

A confluence of lower total employment and fewer people in the civilian labor force helped keep the jobless rate steady in Thurston County in October.

The unemployment rate weighed in at 4.2 percent in October 2024 for the Olympia-Tumwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (Thurston County). That was unchanged from October 2023, according to data from the Washington Employment Security Department, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and local area unemployment statistics.

The data also showed the civilian labor force contracted to 149,116 in October from 152,757 in October 2023. That marked a decrease of 2.38 percent.

At the same time, total employment retreated to 142,865 from 146,355, with a drop of 2.38 percent. Total unemployment measured 6,251 in October, down 2.35 percent from 6,402 in October 2023.

The jobless rate in the metropolitan statistical area for the month of October has been hovering around the 4.2 percent mark for the past few years, with one notable exception.

The rate weighed in at 4.3 percent in pre-pandemic October 2019 before climbing to 6.0 percent in October 2020, as COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc throughout the country.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent in October 2021, and then dipped to 4.1 percent in October 2022 before inching back up to 4.2 percent in October 2023.