Unemployment in Stanislaus County hits a historic low. Where are the jobs?

The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County last month dropped to a number lower than it’s ever recorded.

May’s unemployment rate here stood at 4.5%, according to monthly figures released Friday by the California Employment and Development office. That was down from a revised 5.1% in April 2022 and 8.6% one year ago. Stanislaus County has added 5,700 jobs in the last year, statistics show.

Stanislaus County hasn’t seen an unemployment rate that low since tracking started in 1990, Juliet Moeur, labor consultant for the EDD, said in an email. It’s a steep drop from just over two years ago: In April 2020, the area’s unemployment rate stood at 17% as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold throughout the country.

The area’s previous low occurred in September 2019, when the unemployment rate hit 5.0%. It’s risen as high as 19.7%, which was in February 1993.

Farm jobs accounted for about 80% of the gains locally last month. Also seeing increases were manufacturing and leisure and hospitality. Areas that lost jobs included educational and health services and trade, transportation and utilities.

Statewide, the unadjusted unemployment rate for May was 3.4%; the national rate was also 3.4%, the EDD said.

This story was originally published June 18, 2022 at 7:00 AM.