Unemployment rates were up slightly in Clallam and Jefferson counties last month, state officials said.
Clallam County’s jobless rate climbed from a revised 5.9 percent in November to a preliminary 7.0 percent in December, the state Employment Security Department said.
Jefferson County unemployment went from a revised 5.4 percent in November to a preliminary 6.2 percent in December.
Jobless rates in both counties were 1 percentage point lower last month than they were in December 2016. Unemployment in December 2016 was 8.0 percent in Clallam County and 7.2 percent in Jefferson County.
Both counties had a reduction in the number of people working in December.
Clallam County had 26,351 working citizens and 1,983 looking for a job last month.
Jefferson County had 11,398 working citizens and 758 seeking work.
Meanwhile, the state gained an estimated 6,100 jobs in December as its seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate went from a revised 4.4 percent to a preliminary 4.5 percent. The state has added 95,500 jobs for the year, Employment Security said.
The seasonally-adjusted national unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Unemployment rates at the county level are not seasonally adjusted because the sample size is too small to accommodate the additional analysis.
King County had the lowest estimated unemployment in the state last month at 3.6 percent, followed by Shohomish (4.0 percent), Whitman (4.4 percent), Asotin (4.5 percent) and San Juan (4.5 percent) counties.
Ferry County had the highest unemployment at 14.1 percent, followed by Okanogan (8.2 percent), Yakima (8.2 percent) and Grant (8.1 percent) counties.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@ peninsuladailynews.com.