Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Which counties in California have the lowest unemployment?

San Mateo County (3.9%), Orange County (4.1%) and San Francisco County (4.1%) had the lowest unemployment in California in 2025.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See the rankingAll California counties

Want Pro for California? Get notified

All 58 ranked California counties

California counties ranked by lowest unemployment rate
RankCountyRate 2025Change since 2019Residents
1San Mateo County3.9%+1.7 pts743,568
2Orange County4.1%+1.3 pts3,149,507
3San Francisco County4.1%+1.7 pts826,079
4Marin County4.2%+1.7 pts253,694
5Mono County4.2%+0.3 pts12,505
6Napa County4.3%+1.4 pts132,949
7Placer County4.3%+1.1 pts442,081
8Santa Clara County4.3%+1.7 pts1,914,391
9San Luis Obispo County4.4%+1.4 pts282,367
10Sonoma County4.4%+1.7 pts486,444
11Inyo County4.6%+0.8 pts18,158
12San Diego County4.6%+1.4 pts3,282,248
13Alameda County4.7%+1.9 pts1,636,630
14Contra Costa County4.8%+1.8 pts1,170,070
15Nevada County4.8%+1.2 pts101,911
16Santa Barbara County4.8%+1.1 pts442,065
17Ventura County4.8%+1.2 pts830,851
18El Dorado County5.0%+1.2 pts192,323
19Sacramento County5.0%+1.4 pts1,618,460
20Humboldt County5.3%+1.6 pts131,647
21Solano County5.3%+1.6 pts455,376
22San Bernardino County5.4%+1.5 pts2,224,091
23Shasta County5.5%+0.9 pts181,648
24Tuolumne County5.5%+1.0 pts53,160
25Riverside County5.6%+1.3 pts2,544,916
26Los Angeles County5.7%+1.2 pts9,694,934
27Sierra County5.7%+0.2 pts3,098
28Yolo County5.8%+1.6 pts224,410
29Mariposa County5.9%+0.9 pts16,918
30Mendocino County5.9%+1.6 pts88,122
31Trinity County5.9%+0.6 pts15,720
32Amador County6.0%+2.0 pts41,876
33Butte County6.2%+1.0 pts209,211
34Santa Cruz County6.3%+1.4 pts258,852
35Calaveras County6.4%+1.5 pts46,605
36Del Norte County6.4%+0.2 pts26,410
37Tehama County6.5%+1.0 pts64,665
38Lassen County6.7%+1.5 pts28,117
39San Joaquin County6.7%+1.0 pts823,815
40San Benito County6.8%+1.7 pts70,082
41Yuba County7.1%+1.2 pts88,691
42Stanislaus County7.2%+1.1 pts557,719
43Glenn County7.3%+0.6 pts28,141
44Lake County7.3%+1.3 pts67,772
45Modoc County7.3%−0.3 pts8,426
46Alpine County7.4%+0.3 pts1,043
47Plumas County7.5%−0.2 pts18,583
48Siskiyou County7.6%+0.7 pts42,013
49Monterey County7.9%+1.5 pts433,729
50Madera County8.0%+1.3 pts167,927
51Fresno County8.5%+1.1 pts1,035,456
52Sutter County8.9%+1.3 pts98,787
53Kern County9.0%+1.2 pts927,068
54Kings County9.3%+1.0 pts154,327
55Merced County10.2%+2.0 pts297,260
56Tulare County10.8%+1.1 pts485,146
57Colusa County13.9%+1.4 pts21,836
58Imperial County18.9%−2.2 pts181,411

How this is ranked

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Get the report for any California county — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for any county as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Choose a county — $99

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Questions

Which county in California has the lowest unemployment rate?

San Mateo County: 3.9%, ahead of Orange County (4.1%) and San Francisco County (4.1%), of 58 California counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

More county rankings for California

Lowest unemployment rate in other states

Across the U.S.