Overall unemployment rate moved down to 2.3% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 700 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2022.

Total employment in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL market declined by 1,085 jobs in August and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 10 bps to 2.3%. The national unemployment rate stayed flat over the same time period at 3.8%.

  • Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL unemployment rate is 149 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 110 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in August versus prior month by 0.1% and are up 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 August 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.2%. Key sectors include:

  • Restaurants & Hotels: 24,100; -700
  • Transportation & Utilities: 22,800; -100
  • Government: 21,400; +500
  • Business Services: 20,600; -100
  • Education & Healthcare: 12,700; +100
  • Financial Services: 8,000; no change
  • Construction, Mining: 7,400; -100
  • Other Jobs: 5,300; +100
  • Manufacturing: 3,500; no change
  • IT & Development: 1,400; no change
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Unemployment by Industry August 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through August 2022 (Data published September 2022 and reports created on September 28, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.