Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percent in December, according to new numbers released Wednesday.
It dropped from 5.7 percent to 5.4 percent, bringing the state much closer to the national average of 5 percent.
It’s a strong finish for Oregon's financial year.
State employment economist Nick Beleiciks said more than 17,000 jobs were added in the last three months.
“Historically, a 5.4 percent unemployment rate is really low for Oregon. The long term average is 7.3 percent," Beleiciks said. "This is the sort of unemployment rate level that we expect to see during an economic expansion."
Looking back at 2015, Oregon's economy grew rapidly, adding more than 54,000 jobs across all economic sectors.
The state’s growth rate is 3.1 percent, notably higher than the national average of 1.9 percent.