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 2025 | ||
| Number | Pct. Chg. from 2020 | |
| Labor Force | 204,024 | 6.5% |
| Employed | 197,026 | 11.3% |
| Unemployed | 6,998 | -52.3% |
| Rate | 3.4 | -55.8% |
| Labor Force Estimates | |||||
| Labor Force | Emp. | Unemp. | Area Rate | State Rate | |
| 2015 | 178,140 | 169,962 | 8,178 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
| 2016 | 187,154 | 179,514 | 7,640 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 187,565 | 181,534 | 6,031 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 191,631 | 185,786 | 5,845 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 194,311 | 188,389 | 5,922 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 191,656 | 176,972 | 14,684 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 191,795 | 184,278 | 7,517 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | 195,604 | 190,013 | 5,591 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| 2023 | 197,786 | 191,605 | 6,181 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | 200,752 | 193,099 | 7,653 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| 2025 | 204,024 | 197,026 | 6,998 | 3.4 | 3.7 |