Unemployment rates in Cascadia dropped again in October, a sign of the region's strong job market.
Washington's jobless rate dropped to 4.8 percent, sending the average so far this year to 4.9 percent, the lowest since 1999. Oregon's jobless rate stood at 5.1 percent and Idaho's stood at 3.2 percent, well below the national rate of 4.4 percent. British Columbia's rate was 4.6 percent, compared to 6.2 percent nationally.
In the Seattle area, unemployment dropped to 3.9 percent. The lowest rate in Washington was in San Juan County, with 2.9 percent, while the highest was in Columbia and Grays Harbor counties, with 6.4 percent -- almost two points less than the month before.