The unemployment rate in Ventura County hit 5% in August, its highest point since January but still lower than it was a year ago and lower than the statewide unemployment rate.
California's unemployment rate in August was 5.1%, the same rate as the month before and down from 5.5% in August 2025, according to the most recent data released by the California Employment Development Department.
The national unemployment rate in August was 4.3%. Both California and Ventura County have consistently had higher unemployment rates than the nation as whole since early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Ventura County, the rate of 5% in August was up from 4.7% in July but down from 5.3% in August 2025. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted,
unlike the state and national rates, and Ventura County's unemployment rate typically spikes in the summer and declines in the fall.
The unemployment rate is based on a federal household survey; the survey for August was conducted the week of Aug. 12. Only people who are looking for work and can't find any are considered "unemployed" and counted in the unemployment rate. People who are not looking for jobs – due to health, age, long-term unemployment, choice or other reasons – are not considered part of the workforce and are not counted as unemployed.
That means it's possible for the unemployment rate to go down even when there are fewer people working. That's what happened in Ventura County in the past year, when the economy lost 400 total jobs and 1,500 jobs when counting only nonfarm industries, according to the state's latest data release.
Fewer jobs but a lower unemployment rate could also be the result of more people commuting out of the county, because the unemployment rate is based on a survey of people who live in the county, while the jobs data comes from a survey of businesses located in the county.
The only sectors with significant job gains in Ventura County in the past year were agriculture, private education and health services, each of which gained 1,100 jobs. Between July and August of this year, though, the county gained 1,000 total jobs and 3,000 nonfarm jobs, led by the government sector, which added 1,800 jobs.
California as a whole added 39,400 nonfarm jobs from July to August, and 138,500 over the past year.
As it did in Ventura County, the private education and health services sector led the way. Government; leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; and manufacturing also added jobs last month. The professional and business services sector struggled in California, shedding 1,800 jobs in a month and 15,500 in the past year.
Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism. The foundation plays no role in story selection. The Star retains full editorial control.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County unemployment rate climbs to 5%
