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 2024 | ||
| Number | Pct. Chg. from 2019 | |
| Labor Force | 39,864 | -2.2% |
| Employed | 38,309 | -3.4% |
| Unemployed | 1,555 | 39.1% |
| Rate | 3.9 | 44.4% |
| Labor Force Estimates | |||||
| Labor Force | Emp. | Unemp. | Area Rate | State Rate | |
| 2014 | 42,657 | 40,792 | 1,865 | 4.4 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | 43,611 | 42,038 | 1,573 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| 2016 | 40,251 | 38,762 | 1,489 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 40,155 | 38,951 | 1,204 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 40,784 | 39,611 | 1,173 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 40,769 | 39,651 | 1,118 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 39,418 | 36,512 | 2,906 | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 38,544 | 37,198 | 1,346 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| 2022 | 39,368 | 38,303 | 1,065 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
| 2023 | 39,716 | 38,459 | 1,257 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| 2024 | 39,864 | 38,309 | 1,555 | 3.9 | 4.0 |