Whatcom County’s unemployment rate increased for the third month in a row last month, with more people unemployed in December than November. Whatcom County had a 5.1% unemployment rate in December with 5,881 unemployed people in the county, an increase of 908 unemployed people compared to November. In November, Whatcom County’s unemployment rate was 4.3%, with 4,973 residents receiving unemployment benefits. In December 2022, Whatcom County’s unemployment rate was 5.1%, the same as December 2023. The unemployment rate hit an extreme high of 17.4% in April 2020, and since then has fluctuated. In December, 170,380 people in the state of Washington were unemployed, 8,807 more than in November 2023. Last December, 182,587 people in the state were unemployed, 12,207 more than in December 2023. All data comes from the Washington State Employment Security Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.