Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.3% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 700 roles, based on the most recently available information published in November 2021.

Total employment in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL market declined by 415 jobs in September and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 3.3%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 72 bps over the same time to 4.6%.

  • Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL unemployment rate is 126 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 90 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in September versus prior month by 5.8% and are equal 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 September 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.4%. Key sectors include:

  • Restaurants & Hotels: 21,600; -700
  • Transportation & Utilities: 20,200; no change
  • Government: 20,100; +100
  • Business Services: 19,300; -100
  • Education & Healthcare: 12,500; +100
  • Financial Services: 7,500; no change
  • Construction, Mining: 7,200; +100
  • Other Jobs: 4,900; no change
  • Manufacturing: 3,400; no change
  • IT & Development: 1,300; no change
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Unemployment by Industry September 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through September 2021 (Data published November 2021 and reports created on November 3, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.