Humboldt County unemployment dips to 5.1% in March

The Humboldt County unemployment rate dipped to 5.1% in March, according to data released by the Employment Development Department on Friday.

Olga Perez, a researcher for the EDD, declined to answer questions about the data on Friday based on her research of Humboldt County trends about whether the county is stagnating.

The Humboldt County labor force remained the same in March at 60,400, the same as February, but down around 800 jobs from March 2025. The county added 100 jobs while the number of unemployed folks dropped by 200.

"100 more people are employed, and 200 people dropped (off the unemployment rolls)," said Greg Foster, executive director of the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission, who tracks the monthly job numbers. "If you look at the numbers, they don't add up quite right."

He said the numbers might be explained by one individual having multiple jobs, a common trend.

Nearly every sector in March saw 0% change. The biggest changes were state government adding 200 jobs, a 5.7% increase, but the figure is down 2.6% from March 2025 when there were 100 more jobs than there are now.

Across Humboldt County cities and census-designated locations, the unemployment rate varies. On the higher end are Redway and Rio Dell at 8.3% and 8.8%, respectively. Eureka's jobless rate is 5.4% while Arcata, which typically is higher, came down to 6.8%.

Blue Lake's unemployment rate is 5.4%, but the data shows a labor force of 400 with 0 people unemployed - a number Perez also declined to explain when asked Friday. Trinidad has the lowest unemployment rate at 3.1%, but the data, like Blue Lake, shows zero unemployment.

The state added jobs in March - 28,700 of them, a rebound from losses of 18,800 in February, according to the EDD.

The state EDD website noted, "California has added 91,700 jobs since the beginning of 2026, which averages out to more than 30,560 jobs added per month. It's the strongest start to a calendar year since 2022."

The EDD initially estimated that California lost 19,900 jobs in February.

"California's payroll jobs increased in March, partially driven by the end of a major strike at Kaiser Permanente," Beacon Economics reported in a new analysis. "The strike had weighed on February's figures, but March showed a rebound as people went back to work."

The statewide unemployment rate in March was 5.3%, an improvement from 5.4% in February, the EDD reported. Both are below peaks in the statewide jobless rate that has climbed to 5.5% during 2025.

Ruth Schneider can be reached at 707-441-0520. The Bay Area News Group contributed to this report.

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