Oregon Public Broadcasting

The state released its latest county-by-county unemployment numbers Tuesday, and again rural Oregon felt the brunt of the pain.

Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports only three counties in the state -- Morrow, Gilliam, and Benton -- boast April unemployment rates of less than 10 percent.

On the other hand, eight counties have unemployment rates of more than 15 percent – and, unsurprisingly, all are rural.

Crook County continues to suffer the state’s highest unemployment rate – just under 20 percent, seasonally adjusted.

Rural Oregon counties generally, and Crook County specifically, are overly reliant on wood products and manufacturing jobs. Those jobs have gone away since housing collapsed.

Brian Rooney is a regional economist with the state -- he watches the jobs in Douglas County.

Brian Rooney: “There were a couple of boating manufacturers down in Douglas County and they’ve essentially closed. That has trickled down to the local economy, and we’ve seen losses in retail, trade, and services.”

The national unemployment rate for April stands at 8.9 percent -- Oregon is at 12 percent.