Whatcom County’s unemployment rate increased slightly in November compared to October, with more residents without employment. The county reported a 4.3% unemployment rate in November, equating to 4,973 unemployed individuals. This was a rise from October’s 4.1% unemployment rate, when 4,753 people were receiving unemployment benefits. Compared to November 2022, when the unemployment rate was 5.2%, the rate in November 2023 was 0.9% lower. The unemployment rate peaked at 17.4% in April 2020 and has been fluctuating since.

Similar to Whatcom County, Washington State’s unemployment rate also increased as per the state’s Employment Security Department’s November 2023 report. The state’s unemployment rate increased from 3.8% in October to 4% in November. A total of 161,716 people were noted as unemployed in the state in November, which was 8,401 more than the number reported in October 2023. However, it was still lower than the number of unemployed people in November 2022, which was 183,636.

Whatcom County and statewide unemployment data were sourced from the Washington State Employment Security Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.