The percentage and number of workers claiming unemployment benefits in Benton and Franklin counties in September was at its lowest level in years, according to the state.

The Tri-City metropolitan area recorded an unemployment rate of 3.5% last month, with 6,344 people claiming unemployment benefits. That was a 1 percentage point drop, or a decline of 1,862 people, compared to August 2026, according to the state Employment Security Department (ESD). It’s also three-tenths of a percentage point lower, or 674 fewer people, than a year ago.

The region last saw unemployment that low in June 2023, when the unemployment rate was 3.2% with 5,535 people claiming benefits.

The Tri-Cities’ unemployment rate was below the state rate of 4.8% in September. However, the state has seen unemployment drop for three straight months, even as the labor market shed 15,400 jobs in September.

“The unemployment rate fell to 4.8% in September, creating a three-month streak in declining unemployment rates, and marking a shift from the slow increases that characterized the past couple years,” said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for the Employment Security Department, in a release.

“The falling unemployment rate is partially a reflection of a decreasing number of unemployed workers over the past few months, but it also reflects an overall reduction in the size of the labor force over the past few months,” Vance-Sherman said. 

She added: “The tally of nonfarm jobs fell in September, with the largest seasonally adjusted declines appearing in the government and education and health services sectors – two of Washington’s largest employment sectors.”