BELLINGHAM — Washington’s unemployment rate hit 4.7 percent in February, according to the state’s Employment Security Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 4.6 percent in January.
That’s the highest rate Washington has had since a spike caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Washington’s unemployment rate was the fifth highest of any state in the country and nearly a whole percentage point higher than the national rate of 3.9 percent, up from 3.7 percent last month.
California had the highest rate at 5.3 percent, while North Dakota had the lowest, at 2.0 percent.
February was the fifth straight month that the statewide unemployment rate rose, but it was only slightly higher than February 2023. Last year, the unemployment rate fell through the spring and summer to 3.6 percent before starting its current climb.
Despite rising unemployment, Washington gained 2,600 jobs in February. This comes after the state lost 2,700 jobs in January, which can largely be chalked up to the 15,200 jobs it added in December.
More of February’s new jobs came in the education and health services fields than any other sector, while the business and professional services fields saw the most losses.
The U.S. as a whole added 275,000 jobs last month, according to BLS.
