Spokane County unemployment rate holds steady at 3.8% in October

Spokane County’s preliminary unemployment rate held steady at 3.8% in October when compared with a month prior. 

The Spokane metropolitan statistical area, which includes Spokane, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, added 1,400 nonfarm jobs and 800 private sector jobs in October, according to non-seasonally adjusted data from the Washington state Employment Security Department.

The service sector gained the greatest number of jobs, with 1,800 last month, followed by the local government educational services sector, which added 700 jobs.

The financial activities and education and health services sectors added 500 jobs each.

The Leisure and hospitality sector added 200 jobs for a total of 24,000, which is 300 jobs shy of a pre-pandemic level of 24,300 jobs in October 2019.

The goods-producing sector, which includes construction and manufacturing, lost 400 jobs last month.

The county’s unemployment rate was 3.8% in September and 5.8% in October 2019.