Economic Indicators—May 2024

Published on Jul 11, 2024

Economy in Central Oregon

By Nicole Ramos | Regional Economist Serving the East Cascades of Oregon | Oregon Employment Department

All over-the-year total nonfarm employment gains in May were concentrated in Deschutes County, with employment up by 110 jobs. In contrast, Crook County saw employment decrease by 230 jobs over the year, while employment in Jefferson County increased by 30 jobs.

The nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly from 3.9% in April to 4.0% in May, and at the statewide level, the unemployment rate remained unchanged from April to May at 4.2%.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in the counties of Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson remained steady in the month of May at 6.3%, 4.1%, and 4.7%.

Topic of the Month: Commuting Patterns

Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap data, we can see where workers are employed and where they live to understand the commuting patterns of workers within a community, such as the number of workers commuting into a community versus the number of workers commuting out of a community for work and the number of individuals that work and live within a community. This month’s graph focuses on OnTheMap data from Jefferson County.

Nearly 69% (5,086) of workers living in Jefferson County in 2021 commuted or were employed outside of the county. This is up from previous years: 67% (4,839) in 2020 and 65% (4,496) in 2019.

In 2021, 3,866 people were employed in Jefferson County, and 7,386 people lived in Jefferson County at that time. This means that there is a net outflow of 3,520 workers. Simply put, outflow means that workers living inside Jefferson County work elsewhere; inflow means workers living outside of Jefferson County come to Jefferson County for work. Jefferson County has experienced a net outflow every year since 2001 (the first year we have data available); however, the outflow is nearly four times as high today.

We also have information on the characteristics of outflow and inflow workers. For both inflow and outflow workers, approximately 48% of them are between the ages of 30 and 54. Furthermore, for outflow workers, 47.3% of them make more than $3,333 per month, like inflow workers, where 49.6% of them make more than $3,333 per month. These numbers are also like those of interior workers (workers who live and work inside Jefferson County), with 48% of those workers between the ages of 30 and 54, and 46% earning more than $3,333 per month.