The unemployment rate for the Spokane-Spokane Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area dropped to 3.4% in June, down from 3.8% a year earlier and 4% in May, preliminary data from the Washington state Employment Security Department shows.

That's the lowest unemployment rate since June 2023, when the rate was at 2.7%.

Total employment decreased by 2,700 nonfarm jobs in the MSA during the 12 months ending in June, the data shows.

The total job count rose, however, from May to June, from 265,400 jobs to 265,900 jobs.

The Spokane-Spokane Valley MSA consists of Spokane and Stevens counties.