Sonoma County Unemployment Rate Down As More Return To Work

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The unemployment rate in Sonoma County is on its way back down. After peaking at 14.5 percent in April, the county's unemployment rate was 12.7 percent in May, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the California Employment Development Department.

This compares with an unadjusted May employment rate of 16.3 percent for California and 13.3 percent for the nation.

In California, rapidly-evolving data prompted a statistical revision to a larger than initially estimated April job loss of 2.4 million and an upward-revised unemployment rate of 16.3 percent, according to the EDD.

"April’s revisions reflect unprecedented job losses never before seen in California’s history in a current data series that dates back to 1976 that are a direct result of the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic," EDD officials said.

While the state’s unemployment rate of 16.31 percent in May was slightly lower than the record high set in April, it was still far higher than the 12.3 percent it was during the height of the Great Recession in March, October and November 2010, the EDD said.

April's revised loss of 2.4 million jobs in California since March is the biggest month-over job loss in state history, far eclipsing the Great Recession’s then record-setting, month-over loss of 132,800 jobs between December 2008 and January 2009, according to the EDD.

Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in May. Construction posted the largest job gain of 75,000 thanks to strength in specialty trade contractors and ongoing construction projects, while leisure and hospitality added 64,800, the second largest job gain due to growth in accommodation and food services.

Government lost 95,800 jobs — the largest drop — with state and local government jobs both experiencing substantial decreases over the month.

The agricultural industry was not far behind having lost 94,500 farm jobs since May 2019, with 18,000 of those job losses recorded just last month, bringing the state's total farm jobs to 325,600.

In Sonoma County, the labor force was 246,700 in May but at least 31,400 people were without work, according to the state's preliminary, not seasonally adjusted figures.

Looking back one year ago, prior to coronavirus, Sonoma County had an unemployment rate of 2.4 percent in May 2019. Heading into the coronavirus crisis, the county had an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in March and 2.8 percent in February.

May Unemployment Rates By City, Community*

Bodega Bay 9.3%
Boyes Hot Springs 8.6%
Cloverdale 7.5%
Cotati City 13.5%
El Verano 5.9%
Fetters Hot Springs Agua Caliente 5.9%
Forestville 14.6%
Graton 22.7%
Guerneville 13.5%
Healdsburg 11.6%
Monte Rio 40.5%
Petaluma 11.9%
Rohnert Park 14.8%
Santa Rosa 13.4%
Sebastopol 20.7%
Sonoma 10.4%
Windsor 12.5%

Sonoma County's May unemployment rate of 12.7 percent was on par with many of its neighboring Bay Area counties.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, Contra Costa County’s unemployment rate in May 13.6 percent; Solano County had a jobless rate of 14.2 percent in May, similar to Napa County; Marin County had the Bay Area’s lowest unemployment rate in May at 10.3 percent.

In Napa County, the unemployment rate was 14.4 percent in May; in San Francisco County, the unemployment rate was 12.6 percent; in Santa Clara County, it was 11 percent; in Alameda County, it was 13.5 percent; and in San Mateo, it was 11.1 percent.

*Glen Ellen and Occidental not listed; population too small to determine unemployment rate