Douglas County Economic Indicators - March 2024
Below is the March 2024 edition of the Douglas County Economic Indicators. You can also view them on Quality Info.
From February 2023 to 2024 Douglas saw very little change in jobs. Private health care and related industries continue to fuel growth, and we saw losses in professional services, manufacturing, and trade. Unemployment increased slightly to 4.9%, which is still quite low in historical perspective. A similar trend has taken place in most of the state since mid-2023.
The special graph this month looks at construction employment in Douglas County and Oregon. Construction employment has historically been more sensitive to recessions than other industries, although it fared well in 2020.
Douglas still has fewer construction jobs than in 2006, its recent high-water mark. The state is at an all-time high for construction jobs, although indexed job growth since 2001 in Douglas has nearly matched the state’s (35% growth versus 45%).
This month’s articles included:
High-Wage Jobs in the Leisure and Hospitality Industry on Quality Info
Slow Job and Labor Force Growth: 2023 in Review on Quality Info
2023 County Population, Census Edition on Oregon Office of Economic Analysis blog
As always, the Indicators contain all the latest economic data on our area. If you have a data question or want to learn more about any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Henry L. Fields
Workforce Analyst
(541) 359-9178
