Southwestern Oregon Economic Indicators July 2017

Here is the latest set of Economic Indicators for Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties. In this month’s edition:

• Month-over-month unemployment rates remain at or near historical lows. Oregon’s rate is up by 0.1 percentage points from 3.6% last month. Coos County’s rate increased to 4.8% from 4.7% last month. Curry County’s unemployment rate is continuing to decline – down 0.1 percentage point from 5.4% last month. Douglas County remains at 4.7% unemployment.

• All three counties have experienced positive over-the-year job gains.

• The graph of the month shows the forest sector’s share of each county’s employment. I went on the sustainable forestry tour last week with the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and it was a blast to hear from so many knowledgeable speakers and see their efforts to sustainably plant, harvest, and maintain our area’s forestlands. Since Oregon is the number one producer of soft plywood and lumber in the nation, this industry warranted its own graph of the month!

To view more of our publications on Southwestern Oregon’s counties, as well as publications on the statewide level, please visit our area’s website at www.QualityInfo.org/Southwestern-Oregon.