UNEMPLOYMENT RATES RISE IN WASHINGTON CO., AREA COUNTIES

  

Washington County’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months in September.

Numbers from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) show Washington County’s jobless rate jumped to 6.1 percent in September, up from 5.2 percent in August.

The county’s workforce in September totaled 15,182, with 927 unemployed.  August’s labor force was 15,453, with 811 jobless.  Last September, the county had an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent, with a workforce of 15,408 and 470 out of work.

The state’s unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in September, up from 6.8 percent in August.  The rate had fallen for four straight months from a high of 13.5 percent in April, the peak of COVID-19’s effects on the state’s economy.

The jobless rates for surrounding counties include:

• Austin County – 7.2 percent, up from 5.9 percent in August.
• Brazos County – 5.3 percent, up from 4.6 percent.
• Burleson County – 6.8 percent, up from 5.6 percent.
• Fayette County – 5.5 percent, up from 4.2 percent in August.
• Grimes County – 8.8 percent, up from 7.3 percent.
• Lee County – 5.1 percent, up from 4.1 percent.
• Waller County – 8.7 percent, up from 7.4 percent.