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After strong start to year, local unemployment rates rise
labor
Christopher Correa
Turlock Journal
Published: Jul 19, 2025, 6:35 AM

Following four straight months of decreasing unemployment rates in Stanislaus and Merced counties, mirroring similar rallies at the state and national levels, June saw a significant turn of events, according to preliminary data provided by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Data released this week show that unemployment rates went up across the board over the course of June.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 4.4% in June, up from an even 4.0% in May. In California, the rate increased from an even 5.0% to 5.7% in a month’s time.

In that same time, Stanislaus County saw a full percentile increase, from 6.6% in May to 7.6% in June, translating to about 19,800 currently without work — up by 2,500.

Over in Merced County, the unemployment rate rose from 9.6% to 10.5% in June, translating to roughly 13,100 people without jobs — an increase of 1,000 in a month’s time.

Of those figures, an estimated 2,300 that are without work are in Turlock. Meanwhile, there are approximately 200 people without work in Denair, Keyes, Hilmar and Hughson.

The farming industry saw the biggest job loss, with 500 being let go in Stanislaus County alone. There were 200 in Merced County.

Also impacting Stanislaus statistics were state and local government positions. According to the data provided, 400 jobs were lost at the state and local government levels, in addition to 300 in local government education services.

The lone industries to grow in June in Stanislaus County were construction and retail, who added 300 and 200 workers, respectively.

In addition to the farming industry, the retail, private education and health services, and transportation and utilities sectors in Merced County each saw losses of about 100 jobs. Softening the blow were the additions of 100 manufacturing and 100 local government jobs.

Despite the regression in the labor market, the unemployment rate in Merced County remains lower than what it was at the start of 2025, which was about 11 percent. The rate in Stanislaus County, though, is nearly the same as it was at the beginning of the year.

The health care and social assistance sectors remain most in-demand for workers, with there being 1,137 online job listings in Stanislaus County and 323 in Merced County as of Friday. The retail industry also has a high demand, with 678 postings in Stanislaus County and 251 in Merced County.

The manufacturing industry has the third-highest demand for workers in Stanislaus County, with 433 listed openings. The private education services sector  in Merced County, meanwhile, has 286 openings.  

Those on the hunt for a job can find resources at www.edd.ca.gov/en/jobs
Three Valley hospitals earn rankings among best regional hospitals in the U.S.
Sutter Health
Memorial Medical Center in Modesto is one of three San Joaquin Valley hospitals to earn a ranking by US News as one of the best regional hospitals in the nation (Photo courtesy of Sutter Health).
Published: Jul 30, 2025, 11:59 AM

BY TIM SHEEHAN

CV Journalism Collaborative

Three hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley – two in Fresno, one in Modesto – have received places among the rankings of best regional hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings, announced on July 29, recognize Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno, Saint Agnes Medical Center in north Fresno and Memorial Medical Center in Modesto among 64 top hospitals in California and 504 hospitals nationwide.

A total of 413 hospitals throughout California were evaluated on their performance and outcomes across a wide range of specialties and medical procedures, including care for cancer, diabetes, neurology, heart arrhythmia, heart attack, heart failure, stroke and more.

Community Regional Medical Center and Saint Agnes Medical Center were tied for 35th in the rankings among California hospitals, while Memorial Medical Center was tied for 60th.

Community Regional Medical Center, a 685-bed hospital that includes a trauma center and burn unit, was deemed “high performing” in 12 of 38 criteria: abdominal aortic aneurism, aortic valve repair, back surgery (spinal fusion), colon cancer surgery, diabetes, gynecological cancer surgery, heart arrhythmia, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, kidney failure, leukemia/lymphoma/myeloma and stroke.

The 436-bed Saint Agnes Medical Center was rated as a high-performing hospital in 13 criteria: aortic valve replacement, back surgery (spinal fusion), diabetes, heart arrhythmia, heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, kidney failure, leukemia/lymphoma/myeloma, pacemaker implantation, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

U.S. News gave high-performing ratings to Memorial Medical Center, a 419-bed facility, in nine criteria: COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder), diabetes, heart arrhythmia, heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, kidney failure, pneumonia and stroke.

A “high performing” designation indicates that a hospital was “significantly better than average” in medical specialties, and typically has better-than-average patient outcomes related to medical procedures or conditions compared to other hospitals.

— Tim Sheehan is the Health Reporting Fellow and a senior reporter with the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. The fellowship is supported by a grant from the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust. Contact Sheehan at tim@cvlocaljournalism.org.