An area's labor force provides insight on the availability factor and is residence-based—that is, the people are working or seeking work and reside in the particular county or region.
| Annual Labor Force Estimates in 2021 | ||
| Number | Pct. Chg. from 2000 | |
| Labor Force | 58,663 | -7.5% |
| Employed | 56,257 | -8.4% |
| Unemployed | 2,406 | 21.3% |
| Rate | 4.1 | 32.3% |
| Labor Force Estimates | |||||
| Labor Force | Emp. | Unemp. | Area Rate | State Rate | |
| 2011 | 59,393 | 52,412 | 6,981 | 11.8 | 10.1 |
| 2012 | 58,025 | 52,315 | 5,710 | 9.8 | 8.2 |
| 2013 | 58,141 | 52,821 | 5,320 | 9.2 | 7.5 |
| 2014 | 57,963 | 53,843 | 4,120 | 7.1 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | 58,211 | 54,928 | 3,283 | 5.6 | 4.8 |
| 2016 | 59,021 | 56,085 | 2,936 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 58,558 | 56,248 | 2,310 | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| 2018 | 59,050 | 56,770 | 2,280 | 3.9 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 59,166 | 57,004 | 2,162 | 3.7 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 58,444 | 53,754 | 4,690 | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| 2021 | 58,663 | 56,257 | 2,406 | 4.1 | 3.6 |