By Staff Report Tuesday, March 18th, 2025

The unemployment rate in each of the tri-counties went up substantially in the month of January, according to the latest data provided by the California Employment Development Department.

As a whole, the unemployment rate for the Central Coast was 4.93%, up from 4.5% in December.

Released on March 14, the unemployment rate for Santa Barbara County jumped up 0.8% to sit at 5.4% in the month ofJanuary, the highest on the Central Coast.

Ventura County, which sported a 4.7% unemployment rate in December, was at a 5% unemployment rate in January.

San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate was at 4.4% in January, up from 3.9% in December.

The Central Coast also lost a ton of jobs in January, as the tri-counties had a net loss of 9,900 nonfarming jobs in January

Ventura County had a net loss of 6,100 jobs, due to job cuts in nearly all the sectors including trade, transportation, and utilities (-1,400), professional and business services (-1,100) and private education and health services (-1,000).

Santa Barbara had a net loss of 3,100 nonfarming jobs while San Luis Obispo had a net loss of 700 nonfarming jobs.

As for the state, California’s unemployment rate decreased slightly to 5.4% in January, down from 5.5% in December.

Five of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in January with Private Education and Health Services (+18,500) showing strength in health-related fields such as general medicine and surgical hospitals, continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly, and individual and family services.

Source: California Employment Development Department 

4.93% – The unemployment rate along the Central Coast in January

-9,900 – Net loss of non-farming jobs along the Central Coast in January

5.4% – The unemployment rate for California in January