An area's labor force provides insight on the availability factor and is residence-based—that is, the people are working or seeking work and reside in the particular county or region.
| Annual Labor Force Estimates in 2022 | ||
| Number | Pct. Chg. from 2017 | |
| Labor Force | 18,421 | 0.1% |
| Employed | 17,934 | 1.0% |
| Unemployed | 487 | -25.2% |
| Rate | 2.6 | -25.7% |
| Labor Force Estimates | |||||
| Labor Force | Emp. | Unemp. | Area Rate | State Rate | |
| 2012 | 18,601 | 16,987 | 1,614 | 8.7 | 8.2 |
| 2013 | 18,551 | 17,146 | 1,405 | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| 2014 | 18,559 | 17,486 | 1,073 | 5.8 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | 18,639 | 17,828 | 811 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| 2016 | 18,707 | 17,958 | 749 | 4.0 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 18,403 | 17,752 | 651 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 18,438 | 17,790 | 648 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 18,409 | 17,810 | 599 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 18,185 | 16,964 | 1,221 | 6.7 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 18,184 | 17,590 | 594 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | 18,421 | 17,934 | 487 | 2.6 | 3.0 |