Overall unemployment rate moved down to 4.0% with the biggest shift in Transportation & Utilities, which lost 600 roles, based on the most recently available information published in March 2021.

Total employment in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL market rose by 5,422 jobs in January and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 20 bps to 4.0%. The national unemployment rate increased by 31 bps over the same time to 6.8%.

  • Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL unemployment rate is 281 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 110 bps above the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a negative.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in January versus prior month by 8.5% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Unemployment January 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -1.3%. Key sectors include:

  • Government: 20,800; -200
  • Transportation & Utilities: 20,400; -600
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 19,600; -100
  • Business Services: 19,500; -400
  • Education & Healthcare: 12,200; -100
  • Financial Services: 7,100; -100
  • Construction, Mining: 6,800; no change
  • Other Jobs: 4,700; no change
  • Manufacturing: 3,400; no change
  • IT & Development: 1,300; no change
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Unemployment by Industry January 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through January 2021 (Data published March 2021 and reports created on March 25, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.