Mason County profile

Learn about Mason County's unique labor market information and more.

Posted March 2025

Summary

Mason County is small and largely rural. As such, the largest employment sector is local government. Many residents commute to nearby Thurston, Pierce, and Kitsap counties. Within Mason County, the largest private employment sectors are retail trade, accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Mason County hit a peak of 16.6%. Unemployment returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and has hovered in the 5 to 6% rate since.

Location

A dark blue map of Washington state with Mason County highlighted in orange.

 

Mason county is in the South Puget Sound region. Its neighboring counties are Jefferson and Kitsap counties to the north, Pierce County to the east, Thurston County to the south, and Grays Harbor County to the west. The largest city is Shelton.

Mason County is part of the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Area. Visit the Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board website for information about the 12 workforce regions

Employment situation for January 2025

Labor force and unemployment

  • The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8% in January 2025, unchanged from the previous month and down from 6.4% in January 2024.  

  • The total civilian labor force was 27,448 in January 2025, up from 25,419 in January 2024.

  •  
  • The number of unemployed persons was 1,590 in January 2025 ,29 fewer than in January 2024.

Unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted

A chart showing the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the United States, Washington and Mason County from January 2015 to January 2025.

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

Payroll employment

  • Total nonfarm employment was 14,460 in January 2025, not seasonally adjusted. This was down by 290 jobs from the previous month, but up by 150 jobs (1.0%) from January 2024.

  • Over the year, employment in goods producing industries decreased by 20 jobs, while employment in service providing industries increased by 170 jobs.

  • The largest over the year increases were in leisure and hospitality (100 jobs) and government (80 jobs).

  • The largest over the year decrease was in education and health services (down 70 jobs).

Nonfarm employment estimates, not seasonally adjusted, Mason County

NAICS Industry Title Jan 2025 (Preliminary) Dec 2024 (Revised) Jan 2024 (Revised) Dec 2024 to Jan 2025 change Jan 2024 to Jan 2025 change Jan 2024 to Jan 2025 % change
Total Nonfarm  14,460 14,750 14,310 -290 150 1.0%
--Total Private 8,660 8,940 8,580 -280 80 0.9%
---Goods Producing 1,690 1,710 1,710 -20 -20 -1.2%
-----Mining, Logging, and Construction 770 760 760 10 10 1.3%
-----Manufacturing 930 950 950 -20 -20 -2.1%
---Service Providing 12,770 13,040 12,600 -270 170 1.3%
-----Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 2,480 2,670 2,420 -190 60 2.5%
-------Wholesale Trade 360 490 340 -130 20 5.9%
-------Retail Trade 1,840 1,880 1,800 -40 40 2.2%
-----Information 110 100 100 10 10 10.0%
-----Financial Activities 360 340 380 20 -20 -5.3%
-----Professional and Business Services 750 750 700 0 50 7.1%
-----Education and Health Services 1,310 1,330 1,380 -20 -70 -5.1%
-----Leisure and Hospitality 1,420 1,490 1,320 -70 100 7.6%
-----Government 5,810 5,820 5,730 -10 80 1.4%
-------Federal Government 70 70 70 0 0 0.0%
-------State Government 1,130 1,130 1,090 0 40 3.7%
-------Local Government 4,610 4,620 4,580 -10 30 0.7%
---------Local Government Education 1,470 1,470 1,540 0 -70 -4.5%

Note: Data benchmarked through September 2024updated March 17, 2025.

Source: Employment Security Department/Labor Market Information and Research (LMIR) Division, Washington employment estimates (WA-QB & CES) 

Industry employment (covered employment)

Employment by industry, Mason County 2023 annual average

A bar graph showing the 2023 annual average industry employment in Mason County

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

Average annual covered employment in Mason County was 14,639 and the average annual wage was $54,836 in 2023. Covered employment refers to workers who received wages in Washington state and are eligible for state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) compensation programs.

Government is the largest employer in Mason County. At 5,642 jobs, this sector is as large as the next three biggest (retail trade, accommodation and food services, and healthcare and social assistance).

Top five sectors in terms of employment in 2023:

  • Government (5,642)
  • Retail trade (1,755)
  • Accommodation and food services (1,330)
  • Health care and social assistance (1,271)
  • Manufacturing (928)

The top five sectors in terms of wage in 2023:

  • Professional, scientific, and technical services ($83,484)
  • Finance and insurance ($70,585)
  • Government ($70,365)
  • Information ($63,570)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ($61,849)

Workforce demographics for Mason County

Mason County has a large population 55 and older, which contributes to a lower labor force participation rate (50.5%) than the statewide average. Younger workers tend to have higher unemployment, as do workers with disabilities (11.4% unemployment) and those with less than a high school diploma (11.0% unemployment). Visit the U.S. Census Bureau website for quick facts about Mason County.

Age

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
Population 16 years and over 55,467 50.5% 6.6%
16 to 19 years 2,885 33.8% 21.8%
20 to 24 years 3,251 76.1% 16.7%
25 to 29 years 3,891 75.5% 8.1%
30 to 34 years 4,117 70.1% 4.1%
35 to 44 years 7,914 74.6% 7.3%
45 to 54 years 7,268 73.6% 5.9%
55 to 59 years 4,642 69.2% 2.4%
60 to 64 years 5,617 45.0% 0.5%
65 to 74 years 9,982 16.0% 2.0%
75 years and over 5,900 3.1% 4.4%

Race or Hispanic origin

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
White alone 45,183 48.5% 4.9%
Black or African American alone 637 54.0% 9.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 1,008 41.6% 6.0%
Asian alone 634 59.5% 9.5%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone 176 49.4% 3.4%
Some other race alone 2,818 66.6% 16.8%
Two or more races 5,011 60.0% 12.2%
Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) 5,049 66.0% 13.1%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 44,088 48.4% 4.9%
Population 20 to 64 years 36,700 68.9% 6.3%

Sex

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
Male 19,587 72.7% 6.4%
Female 17,113 64.5% 6.3%

Females with children

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
With own children under 18 5,030 68.5% 8.3%
With own children under 6 only 1,263 70.6% 3.5%
With own children under 6 and 6 to 17 1,090 58.0% 4.6%
With own children 6 to 17 only 2,677 71.8% 11.7%

Poverty status in the past 12 months

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
Below poverty level 4,549 38.2% 22.7%
At or above the poverty level 31,136 75.6% 5.1%

Disability status

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
With any disability 6,164 39.0% 11.4%

Educational attainment

Demographic characteristic Total Labor force participation rate Unemployment rate
Population 25 to 64 years 33,449 68.2% 5.2%
Less than high school graduate 3,660 58.5% 11.0%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 10,282 63.7% 7.7%
Some college or associate's degree 12,685 69.1% 3.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 6,822 78.4% 3.4%

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

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