SALEM — Grant County’s unemployment rate was 4.9% in December, up nearly a point from 4.0% in November but down 2.6 percentage points from the same period a year ago, according to the latest numbers from the Oregon Employment Department.

December’s 4.9% raw jobless rate was the lowest for that month since comparable statistics started being kept in 1990, the department announced. The seasonally adjusted rate of 4.7% was down slightly from 4.8% the month before and down 2.2 points from December 2022 and represents the county’s lowest adjusted rate for any month since 1990.

Some 155 Grant County workers were out of a job in December, the department reported. Total nonfarm employment was 2,480, down 40 jobs from November but up 20 from the year-ago period.

The county’s largest private sector employer was trade, transportation and utilities with 350 jobs, including 260 in retail, followed by private education and health services (210), leisure and hospitality (180), mining, logging and construction (180), and manufacturing (160).

Local government led public sector employers with 740 jobs, followed by the federal government with 220 jobs and the state with 110.