Counties with the highest unemployment in California
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Counties with the highest unemployment in California
The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7.
Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fissures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the federal workforce.
Federal government employment fell by 10,000 in February, pushing up total cuts to the federal workforce. In the first two months of 2025, 62,530 federal workers were let go. However, the most recent cuts, including the Department of Education’s workforce getting slashed by nearly half, have not yet appeared in official jobs data. Retail employment also fell by 6,000.
The broader unemployment index, known as the U-6, which also includes laborers working part-time because they can’t find full-time work, and those who want to work but have given up searching, rose to 8%, its highest since October 2021.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in California, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in January 2025, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Key takeaways: Jobs report shows softening labor market
February’s job growth of 151,000 fell below economists’ expected gains of 160,000, showing the labor market is cooling faster than predicted. Experts say many companies weighing policy changes and economic uncertainty are deciding it’s safer to hold off on hiring decisions for now.
“If you were a company and you were saying, ‘I’m looking to expand, or I’m looking to hire,’ you would have investors in those companies saying, ‘Are you crazy?'” Ron Hetrick, senior labor economist at Lightcast, told Marketplace.
Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in two years, which may have led to layoffs or hiring slowdowns, Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist, told NBC News.
The big story: From bold promises to frozen labor market
After an initial market pop following Trump’s electoral win, indexes have slumped to below when he took office, and uncertainty about the future of the markets is a common theme. Are threatened tariffs in place, delayed, reversed, or ramped up? Has that federal worker been fired or given their job back? Are those federal dollars slashed or reinstated? It’s a question mark that changes daily.
Research shows that uncertainty invites lower investment, slows employment, and increases financial market volatility. The word “uncertain” showed up 47 times in the March edition of the Beige Book, the Federal Reserve’s snapshot of reports from across the nation, compared to 17 times in the previous report from January.
The new administration’s blitz of executive orders and trade policy waffling have cast a dense fog over the short-term economic outlook. One thing that is known? Uncertainty isn’t good for business planning, job creation, or hiring.
In a March 12 interview with Semafor, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that average consumers likely don’t change “what they’re going to do because they read about tariffs,” but “companies might.”
“Uncertainty is not a good thing,” Dimon added.
To get a better idea of your community’s current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in California.
49. San Diego County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,660,256 people (75,462 unemployed)
49. Sonoma County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 246,659 people (11,098 unemployed)
48. Alameda County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 866,451 people (40,046 unemployed)
45. Mono County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,850 people (374 unemployed)
45. Contra Costa County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 582,589 people (27,698 unemployed)
45. Inyo County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,295 people (401 unemployed)
44. Nevada County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 48,163 people (2,381 unemployed)
42. Ventura County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 419,719 people (20,939 unemployed)
42. Sacramento County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 781,229 people (38,893 unemployed)
41. El Dorado County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 91,066 people (4,617 unemployed)
40. San Bernardino County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,038,375 people (54,306 unemployed)
39. Riverside County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,193,068 people (63,770 unemployed)
37. Solano County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 216,791 people (11,656 unemployed)
37. Santa Barbara County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 217,496 people (11,742 unemployed)
36. Humboldt County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 60,254 people (3,362 unemployed)
34. Tuolumne County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 21,798 people (1,266 unemployed)
34. Los Angeles County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,098,050 people (295,356 unemployed)
33. Shasta County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 80,831 people (4,785 unemployed)
32. Yolo County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 111,821 people (6,774 unemployed)
31. Amador County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,975 people (930 unemployed)
30. Butte County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 92,631 people (5,879 unemployed)
29. Mendocino County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 36,532 people (2,362 unemployed)
28. Calaveras County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: +2.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,592 people (1,167 unemployed)
27. Del Norte County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
— 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,933 people (596 unemployed)
26. Trinity County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,394 people (366 unemployed)
24. San Joaquin County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 372,323 people (25,785 unemployed)
24. Sierra County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,309 people (90 unemployed)
22. Tehama County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,941 people (1,894 unemployed)
22. Santa Cruz County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 135,508 people (9,521 unemployed)
19. Alpine County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 549 people (39 unemployed)
19. San Benito County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 34,557 people (2,469 unemployed)
19. Mariposa County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,860 people (489 unemployed)
18. Lassen County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
— 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,146 people (587 unemployed)
17. Yuba County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
— 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 36,019 people (2,634 unemployed)
16. Stanislaus County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
— 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 257,596 people (19,021 unemployed)
15. Glenn County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
— 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,210 people (955 unemployed)
14. Lake County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8%
— 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 26,656 people (2,132 unemployed)
13. Madera County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.5%
— 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 70,422 people (5,968 unemployed)
12. Fresno County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.6%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 475,832 people (40,927 unemployed)
11. Siskiyou County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.8%
— 1-month change: +1.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,140 people (1,417 unemployed)
10. Kern County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9%
— 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 412,655 people (36,985 unemployed)
9. Modoc County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%
— 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,069 people (280 unemployed)
8. Sutter County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.7%
— 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 45,898 people (4,458 unemployed)
7. Kings County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.8%
— 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 59,556 people (5,860 unemployed)
6. Plumas County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.9%
— 1-month change: +1.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,354 people (731 unemployed)
5. Monterey County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.1%
— 1-month change: +1.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 215,823 people (21,770 unemployed)
4. Tulare County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.8%
— 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 224,232 people (24,268 unemployed)
3. Merced County
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 11%
— 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 122,210 people (13,408 unemployed)
1. Colusa County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 17.9%
— 1-month change: +2.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: -0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,421 people (2,045 unemployed)
1. Imperial County (tie)
– January unemployment rate (preliminary): 17.9%
— 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 73,469 people (13,187 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
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