Unemployment in Grays Harbor County increased slightly last month to 7.4 percent in August from 7.2 percent in July.

Last August, the unemployment rate was 6 percent. The rate hit its highest this year in February at 8.6 percent, the lowest in 2019 is 6.8 percent in May.

Grays Harbor and Pacific counties continue to have among the highest rates in the state. The counties with the highest unemployment in August are Ferry (10.8), Pend Oreille (9.5), Grays Harbor (7.4), Pacific (7.3) and Clallam (7). These rates were not seasonally adjusted.

The state unemployment rate is 4.6 percent when seasonally adjusted, preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate.