Central Oregon Economic Indicators – March 2025

Economy in Central Oregon

By Andrew Grimoldby | Workforce Analyst/Economist, East Cascades Oregon Employment Department

March in View:

The nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate marginally increased from 4.1% in February to 4.2% in March, and at the statewide level, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1%, from 4.5% to 4.6%.

In Deschutes County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 4.1% in March 2024 to 4.3% in March 2025. In Crook County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 5.5% in March 2024 to 5.2% in March 2025; in Jefferson County, there was an increase from 4.5% to 4.6%.

Topic of the Month: Educational Attainment in Central Oregon

Educational attainment is a baseline metric for assessing labor market qualifications. In Oregon, the population tends to be more educated; roughly one in three people over 25 have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher in Oregon, according to 2023 five-year American Community Survey estimates.

In Central Oregon, Crook and Jefferson counties are below the state, with approximately 20% of their population older than 25 with a bachelor’s degree or higher. These two counties have similar numbers regarding educational attainment, differing by at most 3 percentage points. In Deschutes County, 43% have a bachelor’s or higher. Deschutes County also has the lowest share of those with less than a high school diploma at 5%, while Jefferson County has the highest share at 11%.