By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Washington unemployment rate for August showed some improvement on a monthly basis, moving to 8.5%, compared to 10.2% the previous month. The Seattle/Bellevue/Everett unemployment rate fell from 8.2% in July to 7.4% in August. Twelve months ago the unemployment rate in Snohomish County was 3.0%, and 2.7% in King County. The August 2020 Monthly Employment Report marks the sixth month since the impacts of COVID-19 started showing up in the local labor market.

The Builder's Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management, and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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By Everett Herald

Juli Bacon, owner of JB Consulting Systems and Bacon Maintenance Services in Woodinville, has been sworn in as the 2017 chair of the National Association of Home Builders Professional Women in Building Council. Bacon is also a partner in JJ BizWorks.

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Contact: data@mbaks.com

January 2026 Builders Bulletin: Building Permits Weakened in October

U.S. Census Bureau data released recently show continued decline in building permits for the Seattle metro area in the first 10 months of 2025. The latest Builders Bulletin reports 5,208 single-family permits were issued year to date in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties as of October 2025, down 8% compared to the same period in 2024. Multifamily permits saw an even steeper drop with 7,225 permits issued, representing a 17% decrease compared to 2024. Release of this data by the Census Bureau was delayed due to last year’s federal government shutdown.

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