WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County’s unemployment rate saw a significant hike in the latest jobs report.
The Washington State Employment Security Department reports that the county added about 360 jobs from July to August.
Still, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped from 3.6% to 4.5%, mainly due to a moderate rise in the overall labor force. The workforce grew by 1,349 people over the previous month, but 989 more people reported they were unemployed, which outpaced the number of jobs added.
That was the county’s largest single-month increase in over two years, since July 2024. It also snapped a streak of five straight months without a hike in its jobless rate.
August’s unemployment rate mirrored the exact rate Whatcom County saw the same time in 2025.
Skagit County saw a similar trend, with its unemployment rate rising by a full percentage point to 4.8%.
Overall, Skagit sat just above the statewide rate while Whatcom remained just below.
