Area unemployment rates dropped in June, but all 99 counties in the state continued to have unemployment rates above last year’s figures. Washington County’s unemployment rate dropped from 7.6% in May to 5.2% in June according to Iowa Workforce Development. That’s a change of 900 people without work in May moving to 600 in June. In June of 2019, Washington County’s unemployment rate was 2.4%.

Washington County is part of the Iowa City metropolitan statistical area, which saw an increase of 4,700 jobs last month as the area rebounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the highest unemployment rate in the state was 11% in Des Moines County and the lowest was 3.2% in Lyon County.

County – May rate, June rate
Henry – 10.4%, 8.0%
Iowa – 8.8%, 5.9%
Jefferson – 10.2%, 9.3%
Johnson – 9.2%, 7.5%
Keokuk – 9.0%, 6.7%
Louisa – 9.4%, 6.4%
Washington – 7.6%, 5.2%

State: 10.2% – 8.0%