Unemployment rates in Central Oregon remained relatively unchanged in October, according to monthly data released by the Oregon Employment Department.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Deschutes County was 3.6% in October, down from 3.7% in September, according to the monthly data. The October rate is just 0.2 percentage points above the record low set in February 2020, according to the report.

The county lost 290 jobs in October, but the number of jobs is still more than during the record low unemployment levels in 2020.

Employment expanded year over year by 4.9% in Deschutes County, according to the monthly data. Most of the job growth was in the leisure and hospitality sector, according to the report.

In Jefferson County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly in October to 4.4% from 4.5% in September, according to the report. That’s the same rate of unemployment the county experienced from October 2019 to December 2019, according to the report.

Employment in Jefferson County decreased by 80 jobs in October, typical for this time of year, according to the report.

In Crook County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased just slightly in October to 5.6%, but still is lower than the same time the year before when it was 6.2%, according to the report.

The unemployment rate in the county is 1.1 percentage points above the record low set before the pandemic when it was 4.5%, according to the report.

The county lost 150 jobs in October, with most of the losses in the public sector.