Asotin County profile

Learn about Asotin County's unique labor market information including monthly unemployment and nonfarm employment statistics.

 

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July 2026 highlights

Updated August 2026

Compared to June 2026, the unemployment rate decreased from 2.8% to 2.5% (237 unemployed individuals). Employers reported 10 more jobs on payrolls (for a total of 7,180 jobs).

Asotin County's labor market highlights

A dark blue map of Washington state with Asotin County highlighted in orange.
  • Asotin County unemployment rates remain historically low as labor market strengthens and tightening continues. Regional investments in substantial retail industry, county infrastructure through new county jail and broadband expansion drives local labor force and job growth.
  • Service‑providing industries made up 84.2% of all jobs in 2024, continuing to dominate the local economy. Goods‑producing industries accounted for 15.8% of employment, maintaining a smaller but stable share of the labor market. The largest employment sectors are healthcare/social assistance, government, and retail trade.
  • Overall, the county’s labor market showed resilience and adaptability, reflecting strong local industry performance

Contact Asotin County's labor economist

Ajsa Suljic, South central / Southeast region

Asotin County is part of the Eastern Workforce Development Area. Visit the workforce board’s website for information about Washington’s 12 workforce regions.

Asotin County is part of the Lewiston-Clarkston Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Employment updates for July 2026

Changes to the labor force and unemployment

The July 2026 unemployment rate was 2.5% in Asotin County, 4.5% in Washington state and 4.4% in the United States.

 Measure  July 2026 June 2026 July 2025
 Participant (labor force)  9,673 9,799 9,666
 Employed persons  9,436 9,524 9,349
 Persons seeking work  237 275 317
 Unemployment rate  2.5% 2.8% 3.3%

Source: Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research (LMIR) Division, Local area unemployment statistics (LAUS)

Asotin County unemployment rate, January 2024 - July 2026

Asotin County’s unemployment rate reflects a small, mixed economy with agriculture, food processing and boat manufacturing. It shows modest seasonal peaks. With a limited labor base and cross‑border commuting, the rate over time is volatile. The best way to understand unemployment in the county is using seasonally adjusted or multi‑month averages.

A chart showing the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Asotin County from January 2024 to July 2026
Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Legend - a dashed blue line with a diamond representing year 1 in the graph
2024
4.3% 4.8% 3.9% 3.0% 3.4% 3.0% 3.9% 3.6% 2.8% 3.2% 3.1% 3.4%
Legend - a orange line with a square representing year 2 in the graph
2025
3.8% 4.4% 3.4% 2.8% 3.1% 2.6% 3.2% 3.2% 3.0%  N/A 3.5% 3.9%
Legend - a dark blue line with a circle representing year 3 in the graph
2026
3.5% 3.8% 3.3% 3.4% 3.1%  2.8%  2.5%          

Source: Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research (LMIR) Division, Local area unemployment statistics (LAUS). BLS canceled October 2025's unemployment publications.

Key changes in payroll employment 

This includes all employees with paid positions tracked in a company’s payroll system. This doesn’t include agriculture jobs or jobs outside of formal payroll such as freelancers, contractors and self-employed individuals. Numbers in this section are estimates generated by a monthly survey.

In July 2026, Asotin County had 7,180 jobs.

Compared with June 2026, July employment increased by 10 jobs.

  • 30 more private jobs.
  • 930 goods-producing jobs, which is unchanged.
  • 6,240 service-providing jobs, which is unchanged.
  • 30 fewer government jobs.

Compared with July 2025, this July’s employment was up by 90 (1.3%) jobs.

  • 50 (0.9%) more private jobs.
  • 40 (4.5%) more goods-producing jobs.
  • 40 (0.6%) more service-providing jobs.
  • 30 (2.3%) more government jobs.
  • Private education and health services added the most jobs, while leisure and hospitality lost the most jobs over the year. 

Employment estimates for Asotin County

See a snapshot of this month's data below. A detailed spreadsheet titled Current employment estimates, not seasonally adjusted is on the source page of our site.

Total jobs

Industry sector Jul. 2026 Jun. 2026 Jul. 2025 Jun. 2026 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026 %
Total nonfarm 7,180 7,170 7,090 10 90 1.3%
- Private 5,850 5,820 5,800 30 50 0.9%
- Government 1,330 1,360 1,300 -30 30 2.3%

Goods-producing jobs

Industry sector Jul. 2026 Jun. 2026 Jul. 2025 Jun. 2026 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026 %
Goods-producing 930 930 890 0 40 4.5%
- Mining, logging and construction 500 500 460 0 40 8.7%
- Manufacturing 430 430 430 0 0 0.0%

Service-providing jobs

Industry sector Jul. 2026 Jun. 2026 Jul. 2025 Jun. 2026 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026
Jul. 2025 to
Jul. 2026 %
Service-providing 6,240 6,240 6,200 0 40 0.6%
- Wholesale trade 100 100 100 0 0 0.0%
- Retail trade 1,040 1,060 1,060 -20 -20 -1.9%
- Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 100 90 90 10 10 11.1%
- Information 50 40 50 10 0 0.0%
- Financial activities 250 250 250 0 0 0.0%
- Professional and business services 440 420 460 20 -20 -4.3%
- Private education and health services 1,930 1,910 1,830 20 100 5.5%
- Leisure and hospitality 840 830 880 10 -40 -4.5%
- Other services 180 180 190 0 -10 -5.3%
- Government 1,330 1,360 1,300 -30 30 2.3%

Note: Data benchmarked through March 2026, updated August 20, 2026. The current month’s data is preliminary. Analysts continue to refine past months as more related information becomes available. Industry columns use North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industry titles. Source: Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research Division, Washington employment estimates (WA-QB & CES)

Employment details for industries and sectors in 2024

This profile section uses Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW) data.

This quarterly census data includes both agricultural and nonagricultural employment and wages for firms, organizations and individuals with employees covered by the Washington State Employment Security Act. Covered employment refers to the total number of employees with this type of coverage.

Top sectors by employment

2024’s annual average was 6,817 total covered employees.

  • Healthcare and social assistance - 1,496 jobs.
  • Government - 1,254 jobs.
  • Retail Trade - 1,088 jobs.
  • Accommodation and food services - 751 jobs.
  • Construction - 506 jobs.

Top sectors by wages

2024’s annual average wage was $54,511 for covered employees.

  • Wholesale trade – $109,979.
  • Information - $96,759.
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services - $84,782.
  • Finance and insurance - $84,295.
  • Construction - $75,361.

2024 annual average employment by industry

This graph shows the 2024 Asotin County average annual employment by sector

Source: Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research (LMIR) Division, Covered Employment (QCEW)

Workforce demographics in Asotin County

Age

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
Population 16 years and over 18,631  54.7% 5.0%
16 to 19 years 1,046  44.2% 13.4%
20 to 24 years 1,093  91.1% 6.7%
25 to 29 years 1,227  79.8% 4.1%
30 to 34 years 1,265  70.0% 3.3%
35 to 44 years 2,506  78.1% 3.8%
45 to 54 years 2,590  82.4% 7.0%
55 to 59 years 1,425  74.0% 0.4%
60 to 64 years 1,818  51.9% 8.6%
65 to 74 years 3,170  21.3% 0.0%

Race and Hispanic or Latino origin

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
White alone  16,709  53.6%  5.5% 
Black or African American alone  145  75.9%  0.0% 
American Indian and Alaska Native alone  200  51.0%  0.0% 
Asian alone  166  81.3%  0.0% 
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone  0 
Some other race alone  329  60.5%  0.0% 
Two or more races  1,082  64.8%  2.3% 
Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race)  700  70.4%  7.9% 
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino  16,482  53.3%  5.2% 
Population 20 to 64 years  11,924  75.0%  5.0% 

Sex

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
Male 5,787  76.9% 5.3%
Female 6,137  73.3% 4.7%

Females with children

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
With own children under 18 years 1,737  79.3% 8.3%
With own children under 6 years only 307  77.9% 5.4%
With own children under 6 years and 6 to 17 years 313  70.0% 4.6%
With own children 6 to 17 years only 1,117  82.4% 9.9%

Poverty status in the past 12 months

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
Below poverty level 1,655  44.7% 26.5%
At or above the poverty level 10,219  80.3% 3.0%

Disability status

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
With any disability 2,107  37.3% 12.6%

Educational attainment

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force
participation rate
Unemployment
rate
Population 25 to 64 years 10,831  73.4% 4.8%
Less than high school graduate 734  46.0% 3.0%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 3,633  65.0% 6.2%
Some college or associate's degree 3,912  78.6% 4.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2,552  85.3% 3.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024: ACS 5-year estimates, S2301 | Employment Status

Funding

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, expressed or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.