The unemployment rate in Pacific County ticked up slightly in May, according to preliminary data released by the Washington State Employment Department last week.

The state agency pegged the local jobless rate at 5.7% in May, up from 5.2% in April but down from 6.1% over the year prior. It’s the second-lowest rate in the month of May for the county dating back to 1990, trailing only the 4.7% mark that was observed two years ago.

The county’s unemployment rate was tied with neighboring Wahkiakum County for 36th out of Washington’s 39 counties for the month, with Grays Harbor County checking in just a tad better at 5.5%. As it usually does, Ferry County in northeast Washington had the worst unemployment rate in the state, checking in at 6.6%.

Statewide, the unemployment rate checked in at 4.4%, up from 4.2% in April as well as May 2024. Twenty-one counties had a jobless rate below 4.5%, led by the 3.1% mark seen in Benton and Asotin counties.

An estimated 6,290 people in Pacific County were employed in nonfarm jobs in May, down 0.3% from both April and a year prior. The figures exclude farm workers, private household employees, business owners and those employed by nonprofits.

Jobs in leisure and hospitality checked in at 940 in May according to the preliminary figures, down 7.8% from the 1,020 workers in the sizable local industry the previous year. The public sector workforce slightly increased year-over-year from 1,870 to 1,890, a gain of 1.1%.

Mining, logging and construction jobs were up 4.7% over last May, from 430 to 450, while retail jobs increased from 690 to 730 — a gain of 5.8%. The number of manufacturing workers grew from 660 to 690 year-over-year, a 4.5% increase.

Employment in professional and business services shrank from 400 last May to 370 a year later, representing a 7.5% decrease. Jobs mainly in health care also saw a yearly decrease from 660 to 640, a decline of 3%.