steuben county snapshot

Data SnapShot Series 1.1March 2016

DATA SNAPSHOTSteuben County

Table of contents

Introduction01Demography02

Economy03Labor Market04

Purpose

About Steuben County

01introduction

4

Purpose

This document provides information and data about Steuben County that can be used to guide local decision-making activities. The Data SnapShot showcases a variety of demographic, economic and labor market information that local leaders, community organizations and others can use to gain a better perspective on current conditions and opportunities in their county.

To strengthen the value and usability of the information, we showcase the data using a variety of visual tools, such as charts, graphs and tables. In addition, we offer key points about the data as a way of assisting the user with the interpretation of the information presented. Finally, short takeaway messages are offered at the end of each section in order to highlight some of the more salient findings.

Introduction

section 01

5

About Steuben CountyIntroduction

section 01

County Background Established 1837

CountySeat

Angola

Area 322 sq. mi.

NeighboringCounties

Branch, MIDeKalb, IN

Hillsdale, MILaGrange, IN

Noble, INWilliams, OH

Metropolitan Status

Micropolitan (Non-Metro)

Population change

Population pyramids

Race

Ethnicity

Educational attainment

Takeaways

02demography

7

33,214

34,185

34,308

34,679

Population change

Components of Population Change, 2000-2014Total Change 488*

Natural Increase 1,587

International Migration 249

Domestic Migration -1,137

The total population is projected to increase by 1 percent between 2014 and 2020.

Demography

Sources: STATSIndiana, U.S. Census Bureau – 2000 Decennial Census, 2010 Decennial Census, 2014 Estimates, Estimates of the Components of Resident Population Change

section 02

The county’s total population increased by 3 percent between 2000 and 2014. Natural increase (births minus deaths over that span of time) was the major contributor to that expansion, with a gain of nearly 1,600 persons.

Growth due to net international migration also increased by 249 individuals, indicating that the county experienced an influx of new people from outside the United States. In contrast, domestic migration (the difference between the number of people moving into the county versus moving out) registered a net loss of 1,137 individuals in Steuben County between 2000 and 2014.

Total population projections

2000

2010

2014

2020

*Total change in population differs from the sum of the components due to Census estimation techniques. Residuals (not reported here) make up the difference.

8

0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-79

80+

9 6 3 0 3 6 9

5.4%7.3%6.8%

5.3%6.6%

7.6%6.6%

3.7%1.5%

5.2%6.6%5.8%5.1%6.3%7.4%6.7%3.8%2.4%

Percent of Total PopulationAg

e Co

hort

0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-79

80+

9 6 3 0 3 6 9

7.2%7.9%

7.3%7.4%7.6%

6.1%3.8%

2.3%1.0%

6.8%7.2%5.9%7.2%7.4%6.0%4.0%3.1%1.9%

Percent of Total Population

Age

Coho

rt

Population pyramidsPopulation pyramids are visual representations of the age distribution of the population by gender.

Approximately 49.5% of the population was female in 2000 (16,443 people) and that percentage remained about the same in 2014. What did change is the distribution of people across the various age categories. A larger share of people shifted into the higher age groupings over the 2000 to 2014 time period.

Demography

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – 2000 Decennial Census and 2014 Annual Population Estimates

section 02

People 50 and over increased from 28.2% to 39.7% between 2000 and 2014. Individuals of prime working age (20 to 49) dipped from 42.8% to 35.9%, with large losses among males and females in the 30 to 39 years old age grouping between 2000 and 2014. There was also a loss of youth (under 20) in the county (29.1% to 24.5%, respectively).

Male

Female

20142000Male

Female

9

White97%

Black, 0.9%Asian, 0.6%Native, 0.4%Two or More Races, 1.0%

White98%

Black, 0.4%Asian, 0.4%Native, 0.4%Two or More Races, 0.6%

RaceThe proportion of non-White residents grew by two-thirds in Steuben County between 2000 and 2014, although they remain a small part of the overall population.Every race experienced a numerical increase over the time period. Of the non-White races, the county had the most growth in individuals identifying themselves as Black (+162) or Two or More Races (+145). Proportionally, these two races also gained the most, with a 120 percent and 78.4 percent increases, respectively.

The White population grew by 700 residents between 2000 and 2014, a small 2.1 percent increase.

Demography


section 02

2000

2014

Note: The Native category includes American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders.

10

EthnicityHispanics are individuals of any race whose ancestry is from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Spain, the Dominican Republic or any other Spanish-speaking Central or South American country.There were 683 Hispanics residing in Steuben County in 2000. This figure expanded to 1,113 by 2014, a 63 percent increase. Due to this numeric increase, the proportion of Hispanics in the population is now around 3 percent.

Demography


section 02

3%

2%

Hispanics - 2000

Hispanics - 2014

11

No High School;

16%

High School;

43%Some Col-lege; 20%

Asso-ciate's Degree;

6%

Bache-lor's

Degree or More;

16%

Educational attainment Steuben County had a 7

percentage point increase in the number of adults (25 and older)

with an associate’s degree or higher between 2000 to 2014.

The proportion of adults 25 years of age and older with a high school

education or more improved from 84 percent in 2000 to 89 percent by

2014. Those with a high school degree only fell from 43 percent in

2000 to 38 percent in 2014.

Adults with a college degree increased from 22 percent in 2000 to

29 percent in 2014. This was due to a 3 percentage point increase in the

proportion of residents with associate’s degrees (6 percent

versus 9 percent), while the proportion of adults with at least a

bachelor's degree increased from 16 percent to 20 percent, a 4 percentage point growth.

.

Demography

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – 2000 Decennial Census and 2014 ACS

section 02

2000

2014

No High School; 11%

High School;

38%Some Col-lege; 22%

Asso-ciate's Degree;

9%

Bachelor's Degree or More; 20%

12

Takeaways The population of Steuben County is expected to grow over the next few years, and if past trends hold, that increase will be largely be due to natural increase (more births than deaths). In examining the composition of Steuben County’s population, one finds an aging population. The number of residents 50 years of age or older increased by 11 percentage points between 2000 and 2014. Additionally, the number of men and women of prime working age (20 to 49) has been slowly declining. In fact, the county witnessed a significant loss of residents in the 30 to 39 years old age grouping between 2000 and 2014, possibly due to domestic out-migration (people moving out of the county for other U.S. locations). Though the racial and ethnic diversity of Steuben County has increased since 2000, it remains primarily White and non-Hispanic.

The educational attainment of adults 25 and over has improved since 2000, but the proportion of adults with a high school education or less represents about half of the county’s adult population. Assessing whether local economic development opportunities might be impeded by the presence of a sizable number of adults with a terminal high school degree or less may be helpful. About 29 percent of Steuben County’s adult residents have an associate’s, bachelor’s or higher degree, a figure that is only 3 percentage points below the figure for the state of Indiana as a whole.

Steuben County may wish to assess the workforce skills of workers with a high school education only. Enhancing their skills so that they meet the current and emerging needs of local businesses and industries may be a worthy investment.

Demography

section 02

Establishments

Industries

Occupations

Income and poverty

Takeaways

03economy

14

Establishments

Components of Change for EstablishmentsTotal Change (2000-13) 592

Natural Change (births minus deaths) 552

Net Migration 40

The number of establishments in Steuben County increased by 31 percent from 2000 to 2013. The rapid growth of establishments was largely due to natural change. That is, 2,960 establishments were launched in the county between 2000 and 2013, while 2,408 closed, resulting in a gain of 552 establishments. There was a small gain of 40 establishments due to net migration.

Economy

Source: National Establishment Time Series (NETS) – YourEconomy.org

section 03

An establishment is a physical business

location. Branches, standalones and

headquarters are all considered types of

establishments.

Definition of Company Stages0 12 3

4

Self-employed

2-9 employees

10-99employees

100-499employees

500+employees

15

Number of establishments by stage/employment category

Economy


section 03

2000 2013Stage Establishmen

ts Proportion Establishments Proportion

Stage 0 483 25% 591 24%

Stage 1 1,067 56% 1,530 61%

Stage 2 305 16% 337 14%

Stage 3 44 2% 36 1%

Stage 4 0 0% 1 0%

Total 1,899 100% 2,495 100%The NETS Database is derived from the Dun & Bradstreet archival national establishment data, a population of known establishments in the United States that is quality controlled and updated annually. Establishments include both private and public sector business units and range in size from one employee (i.e., sole-proprietors and self-employed) to several thousand employees.*ReferenceUSA indicates two Stage 4 firms in 2013, whereas NETS shows only oneStage 4 firm. Additional information is available on the next slide.

16

Top five employers in 2015Economy

Source: ReferenceUSA (Infogroup)

section 03

Establishment Stage

1. Rieke Corporation Stage 4

2. TI Group Automotive Systems Stage 4

3. Tenneco, Inc. Stage 3

4. Cameron Memorial Hospital Stage 3

5. Miller Poultry Stage 3

The largest employers produce a mix of regional, national and global goods and services.Rieke Corporation in Hamilton is the largest establishment-level employer in Steuben County. They are global producers of drum, can and dispensing products.TI Group Automotive and Tenneco supply automotive parts used nationally and globally. Cameron Memorial Hospital is a regional medical provider and Miller Poultry is a national level processed chicken provider.

Information on the top five establishments by employment comes from ReferenceUSA. ReferenceUSA is a library database service provided by Infogroup, the company that also supplies the list of major employers for Hoosiers by the Numbers. While both NETS and ReferenceUSA contain establishments, differences in data collection processes result in discrepancies between the two sources. We use NETS for a broad picture of establishments in the county, while ReferenceUSA is used for studying individual establishments.

17

Number of jobs by stage/employment category

Economy


section 03

2000 2013Stage Jobs* Proportion Jobs* Proportion

Stage 0 483 2% 591 3%

Stage 1 3,954 20% 4,805 22%

Stage 2 7,519 38% 8,481 39%

Stage 3 7,840 40% 7,140 33%

Stage 4 0 0% 500 2%

Total 19,796 100% 21,517 100%

*Includes both full-time and part-time jobs

18

Amount of sales (2013 dollars) by stage/employment category

Economy


section 03

2000 2013Stage Sales Proportion Sales Proportion

Stage 0 $60,585,826 2% $43,587,339 2%

Stage 1 $587,497,345 21% $369,705,480 21%

Stage 2 $1,070,889,431 38% $668,819,697 38%

Stage 3 $1,096,226,643 39% $682,128,168 38%

Stage 4 $0 0% $8,764,100 0%

Total $2,815,199,246 100% $1,773,004,784 100%

19

Manufacturing25.8%

Retail Trade12.2%

Government8.3%

Accommoda-tion & Food

Services8.1%

Health Care & Social Assis-tance7.2%

All Other Industries

38.4%

Top five industries in 201461.6 percent of jobs are tied to one of the top five industries in Steuben County.Manufacturing is the largest industry sector (5,120 jobs). Health Care & Social Assistance is the smallest of the top industry sectors with 1,427 jobs.Four of the top five industries in Steuben lost jobs between 2002 and 2014. Of these, Manufacturing lost the largest proportion (-15.9 percent). Accommodation & Food Services experienced the smallest decrease, with a 1.9 percent decline in jobs over the time period. The one industry that grew -- Health Care & Social Assistance – expanded by over 46 percent.

Economy

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) – 2014.4 – QCEW Employees, Non-QCEW Employees, Self-Employed, and Extended Proprietors

section 03

20

Industry distribution and changeNAICS Code

Description Jobs 2002

Jobs 2014

Change (2002-2014)

% Change (2002-2014)

Average Total

Earnings 2014

11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting 722 751 29 4% $26,802

21 Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction 11 23 12 109% $13,995

22 Utilities 63 61 -2 -3% $80,49023 Construction 842 836 -6 -1% $37,99831-33 Manufacturing 6,085 5,120 -965 -16% $49,78942 Wholesale Trade 426 299 -127 -30% $52,58144-45 Retail Trade 2,692 2,428 -264 -10% $23,30048-49 Transportation & Warehousing 446 795 349 78% $54,58551 Information 100 106 6 6% $52,79852 Finance & Insurance 447 510 63 14% $41,24153 Real Estate & Rental & Leasing 463 697 234 51% $21,23654 Professional, Scientific & Technical

Services 419 410 -9 -2% $38,004

55 Management of Companies and Enterprises 13 <10 - - -

56 Administrative & Waste Management 523 1,101 578 111% $29,57361 Educational Services (Private) 438 846 408 93% $33,80062 Health Care & Social Assistance 977 1,427 450 46% $32,98671 Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 160 200 40 25% $15,94472 Accommodation and Food Services 1,629 1,598 -31 -2% $14,27781 Other Services (except Public

Administration) 829 973 144 17% $21,72390 Government 1,697 1,656 -41 -2% $40,39599 Unclassified Industry <10 0 <10 -100% $0 All Total 18,984 19,843 859 5% $35,667

Economy


section 03Note: Average total earnings include wages, salaries, supplements and earnings frominvestments and proprietorships. Industries and occupations with a value of <10 have insufficient data for change and earnings calculations.

21

Industry distribution and change

The largest percentage gains in employment in Steuben County occurred in: Administrative and Waste

Management Services (+110.5 percent)

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (+109.1 percent)

The largest percentage losses in employment occurred in: Wholesale Trade (-29.8

percent) Manufacturing (-15.9 percent)

Economy


section 03

Employment Increase

Employment Decrease

Industries with the largest gains and losses in employment numbers between 2002 & 2014:

Administrative & Waste

Management(+578)

Health Care & Social

Assistance(+450)

Manufacturing(-965)

Retail Trade(-264)

Wholesale Trade(-127)

22

Production 18.9%

Sales & Related 13.5%

Office & Admin-istrative Sup-

port 10.9%

Food Prepara-tion & Serving

Related 8.2%

Transportation & Material Moving

8.0%

All Other Oc-cupations

40.6%

Top five occupations in 2014The top five occupations in Steuben County represent 59.4 percent of all jobs.Production (3,751 jobs) is the top occupation classification in Steuben County. The smallest of the top occupations is Transportation & Material Moving with 1,584 jobs.All five top occupations in Steuben County, except Production (-12.4 percent), had an increase in jobs between 2002 and 2014. Transportation & Material Moving occupations gained the largest proportion (+25.8 percent), while Office & Administrative Support occupations grew the slowest (+0.9 percent) over the time period.

Economy


section 03

23

SOC Description Jobs

2002Jobs 2014

Change (2002-2014)

% Change (2002-2014)

Hourly Earnings

201411 Management 1,416 1,457 41 3% $22.0413 Business & Financial Operations 524 585 61 12% $22.1515 Computer & Mathematical 150 158 8 5% $24.1117 Architecture & Engineering 323 256 -67 -21% $25.6519 Life, Physical & Social Science 45 56 11 24% $26.1221 Community & Social Service 166 208 42 25% $16.6823 Legal 69 68 -1 -1% $29.7625 Education, Training & Library 633 758 125 20% $20.7727 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports &

Media 268 309 41 15% $13.4929 Health Care Practitioners & Technical 444 577 133 30% $26.1231 Health Care Support 230 341 111 48% $11.0333 Protective Service 275 303 28 10% $15.7135 Food Preparation & Serving Related 1,564 1,623 59 4% $9.0037 Building & Grounds Cleaning

Maintenance 488 597 109 22% $9.4739 Personal Care & Service 480 635 155 32% $8.9441 Sales & Related 2,558 2,677 119 5% $12.0643 Office & Administrative Support 2,136 2,156 20 1% $12.9245 Farming, Fishing & Forestry 76 106 30 39% $11.0947 Construction & Extraction 707 711 4 1% $15.8549 Installation, Maintenance & Repair 745 754 9 1% $17.4251 Production 4,280 3,751 -529 -12% $13.6753 Transportation & Material Moving 1,259 1,584 325 26% $15.1955 Military 110 114 4 4% $16.3999 Unclassified 39 59 20 51% $13.82All Total 18,984 19,843 859 5% $14.89

Occupation distribution and change

Economy


section 03

24

Occupation distribution and change

Economy


section 03

The largest percentage gains in employment in Steuben County occurred in:* Health Care Support (+48.3

percent) Farming, Fishing & Forestry

(+39.5 percent)

The largest percentage loss in employment occurred in: Architecture & Engineering (-

20.7 percent) Production (-12.4 percent)

Occupations with the largest gains and losses in employment numbers between 2002 & 2014:

Transportation & Material Moving

(+325)

Personal Care & Service(+155)

Production(-529)

Architecture & Engineering

(-67)

Employment Increase

Employment Decrease

* Unclassified occupations was the category with the largest percentage gains in the county with a 51.3 percent increase.

25

Income and poverty

2002 2007 2014

Total Population in Poverty 8.3% 11.6% 12.8%

Minors (up to age 17)in Poverty

10.0% 16.3% 19.3%

Real Median Household Income (2014)*

$54,575 $52,698 $50,078

Real Per Capita Income (2014)* $32,285 $32,980 $36,000

The median household income in Steuben County dipped by $4,500 between 2002 and 2014 in real dollars (that is, adjusted for inflation), while average income per person rose by $3,700 in real dollars over the same time period.The total population in poverty increased by 4.5 percentage points between 2002 and 2014, but the number of minors in poverty increased by more than twice that amount. Nearly one in five minors was living in poverty by 2014.

Economy

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis – Regional Personal Income Summary

section 03

*Real median household income is the middle income value in the county. Half of the county’s households fall above this line and half below. Real per capita personal income is the average income per person in the county.

26

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

Real

Inco

me

in 2

014

(dol

lars

)

Popu

latio

n in

Pov

erty

(per

cent

)

Median Household In-come

Minors in Poverty

All Ages in Poverty

Per Capita In-come

Income and povertyMedian household income in Steuben County declined between 2000 and 2013 but has shown some improvement since 2013. Per capita income has been fairly constant since 2001, improving modestly after 2009. Poverty rates for adults and minors have stabilized over the past couple years, although the rates remain high relative to 2000.

Economy

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis – Regional Personal Income Summary

section 03

27

Takeaways Growth in the number of establishments in Steuben County occurred mainly in businesses having fewer than 10 employees (the self-employed and Stage 1 enterprises), components of the local economy that are often overlooked by local leaders. Steuben County might consider focusing on economic development efforts that seek to strengthen high-growth Stage 1 and 2 establishments since they employ several people and capture sizable sales, although these sales have suffered in recent years. Real median income has gradually decreased in Steuben County, despite growth in real per capita income. This, in conjunction with increased poverty rates, indicates a growing income imbalance in the county since 2000. While poverty rates have stabilized since 2011, they remain relatively high, especially among minors.

The gradual decline in real median income experienced in Steuben County between 2000 and 2014 may be tied to employment changes. While the largest employment gains and losses were in industries and occupations with moderate pay, there is a $20,000 per year gap between the Manufacturing industry jobs lost ($50,000 yearly) and the Administrative & Waste and Health Care & Social Assistance industry jobs gained ($30,000 and $33,000 yearly, respectively). Similarly, moderate-paying jobs in Production ($14 per hour) were lost, while moderate-paying Transportation & Material Moving ($15 per hour) and low-paying Personal Care & Service ($9 per hour) jobs grew.No doubt, the ability of Steuben County to capture high paying jobs will depend on the availability of a well-trained and educated workforce, something that may be possible in light of the growing percentage of adults in the county with an associate’s degree or higher. Ensuring that a skilled workforce is available to support the key industries in the county will be important to the economic stability of the county.

Economy

section 03

Labor force and unemployment

Workforceinflow/outflow

Commuter shed

Labor shed

Takeaways

04labormarket

29

2002

2007

2014

Labor Force 17,218 16,494 19,930

Unemployment Rate 6.5% 6.0% 5.0%

Labor force and unemployment

The labor force in Steuben County increased by 15.8 percent between 2002 and 2014. This increase could be due to a greater influx of adults that were previously discouraged workers now coming back to the workforce. At the same time, there was a 1.5 percentage point decrease in the unemployment rate, possibly due to an increase in the number of jobs available in the county.

Labor market

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Local Area Unemployment Statistics (2014 Annual Data Release)

section 04

30

Unemployment rateUnemployment increased dramatically after 2007, peaking at 14.5 percent in 2009. Since that time, the rate has been on a steady decline, dipping to 5.0 percent by 2014.

Labor market

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Local Area Unemployment Statistics (2014 Annual Data Release)

section 04

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

3.1%

6.5%

5.9%

6.4%

6.0%

14.5%

5.0%

Unem

ploy

men

t Rat

e (p

erce

nt)

31

Steuben County has slightly more laborers traveling out of the county for work than into the county for work.Net commuting is negative, with a loss of 232 commuters. The resulting situation is that for every 100 employed residents, Steuben County has 98 jobs.

Workforce inflow and outflow in 2013

Labor market

section 04 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, OTM, LEHD, PCRD

Count Proportion

Employed in Steuben County 14,277 100%

Both employed and living in the county 7,305 51%

Employed in the county but living outside

6,972 49%

Living in Steuben County 14,509 100%

Both living and employed in the county

7,305 50%

Living in the county but employed outside 7,204 50%

6,972 7,204

7,305

32

Commuter shedA county’s commuter shed is the geographic area to which its resident labor force travels to work.Half of employed residents in Steuben County commute to jobs located outside of the county. Allen County is the biggest destination for residents who work outside of Steuben County.Twenty-one percent of out-commuters work in counties adjacent to Steuben County. However, the largest and third largest work destinations outside of Steuben County are the Fort Wayne (Allen County) and Elkhart-Goshen (Elkhart County) metropolitan areas, respectively.

Labor market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)

section 04

7,204

Out-Commuters

7,305

Same Work/Home

Commuters ProportionAllen, IN 2,013 13.9%DeKalb, IN 1,565 10.8%Elkhart, IN 811 5.6%Noble, IN 560 3.9%LaGrange, IN 498 3.4%

33

Commuter shed in 2013Labor market


Seventy-five percent of Steuben County’s working residents are employed either in Allen, DeKalb or Steuben Counties. Another 10 percent commute to jobs in Elkhart or Noble Counties.

Collectively, these five counties represent 85 percent of the commuter shed for Steuben County.

34

Labor shed

Commuters ProportionDeKalb, IN 1,019 7.1%Branch, MI 810 5.7%Allen, IN 688 4.8%LaGrange, IN 544 3.8%Noble, IN 423 3.0%

Labor market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau – Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)

section 04

6,972

In-Commuters

7,305

Same Work/Home

A county’s labor shed is the geographic area from which it draws employees.Forty-nine percent of individuals working in Steuben County commute from another county.Twenty-four percent of in-commuters reside in counties adjacent to Steuben County, and four of the five top counties in the labor shed are adjacent counties. Of these counties, DeKalb County is the largest source of labor outside of Steuben County, while Noble County is the smallest.

35

Labor shed in 2013Labor market


The bulk (75 percent) of Steuben County’s workforce is drawn from Allen, DeKalb,

LaGrange or Steuben Counties in Indiana or Branch County, Michigan. Another 5 percent is drawn from Noble

County, Indiana, Hillsdale County, Michigan, or Williams

County, Ohio. An additional 5percent reside in Elkhart, St. Joseph and Marion Counties in

Indiana or Lenawee and St. Joseph Counties in Michigan.

Combined, the 13 counties represent 85 percent of

Steuben County’s labor shed.

36

Takeaways The Great Recession that impacted the U.S. economy between 2007 and 2009 took a major toll on the Steuben County’s unemployment rate. While the rate was quite low in 2000, it more than quadrupled to 14.5 percent by 2009. Recent figures confirm that the unemployment rate has improved significantly since that time. The county’s labor force has grown since 2002. This may be a natural increase due to population growth. It is also possible that an increasing number of unemployed individuals who were discouraged workers have reentered the labor market and begun looking for a job. Despite a growing labor force, the unemployment rate has continued to drop. This indicates that jobs have grown at a faster rate than the labor force has in the county. In fact, since 2010, employment has grown at a faster pace than has the population in the county.

Approximately half of Steuben County residents in the workforce are gainfully employed outside of the county. This represents a tremendous loss of human talent that is unavailable to contribute to the social and economic vitality of the county. It may be worthwhile for local leaders and industries to determine the human capital attributes of workers who commute to jobs outside the county. By so doing, they could be positioned to determine how best to reduce the leakage of educated and skilled workers to surrounding counties. Of course, this will require expansion in the number of good paying jobs that will help keep these workers in their home county.

The labor shed and commuter shed data offer solid evidence of the value of pursuing economic and workforce development on a regional (multi-county) basis.

Labor market

section 04

37

Notes LAUS (Local Area Unemployment Statistics):LAUS is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) program that provides monthly and annual labor force, employment and unemployment data by place of residence at various geographic levels. LAUS utilizes statistical models to estimate data values based on household surveys and employer reports. These estimates are updated annually. Annual county-level LAUS estimates do not include seasonal adjustments. LEHD (Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics):LEHD is a partnership between U.S. Census Bureau and State Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to provide labor market and journey to work data at various geographic levels. LEHD uses Unemployment Insurance earnings data and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages from DWDs and census administrative records related to individuals and businesses. SAIPE (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates):SAIPE is a U.S. Census Bureau program that provides annual data estimates of income and poverty statistics at various geographic levels. The estimates are used in the administration of federal and state assistance programs. SAIPE utilizes statistical models to estimate data from sample surveys, census enumerations and administrative records.

OTM (On the Map):OTM, a product of LEHD program, is used in the county snapshot report to develop commuting patterns for a geography from two perspectives: place of residence and place of work. At the highly detailed level of census blocks, some of the data are synthetic to maintain confidentiality of the worker. However, for larger regions mapped at the county level, the commuter shed and labor shed data are fairly reasonable. OTM includes jobs for a worker employed in the reference as well as previous quarter. Hence, job counts are based on two consecutive quarters (six months) measured at the “beginning of a quarter.” OTM data can differ from commuting patterns developed from state annual income tax returns, which asks a question about “county of residence” and “county of work” on January 1 of the tax-year. OTM can also differ from American Community Survey data, which is based on a sample survey of the resident population. YourEconomy.org (YE): YE, an online tool by the Business Dynamics Research Consortium at the University of Wisconsin – Extension, provides data on the employment, sales and number of establishments at numerous geographic levels in the United States. A major data source for YE is the National Establishment Time Series Database (NETS), an establishment-level database, not a company-level database. This means that each entry is a different physical location, and company-level information must be created by adding the separate establishment components.

38

Report ContributorsThis report was prepared by the Purdue Center for Regional Development in partnership with Purdue University Extension.

Data AnalysisIndraneel Kumar, Ph.D.Ayoung Kim

Report AuthorsElizabeth DobisBo Beaulieu, Ph.D.

Report DesignTyler Wright

It is the policy of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service that all persons have equal opportunity and access to its educational programs, services, activities, and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, disability or status as a veteran. Purdue University is an Affirmative Action institution. This material may be available in alternative formats.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) . . .seeks to pioneer new ideas and strategies that contribute to regional collaboration, innovation and prosperity.

Purdue Extension Community Development (CD) . . . works to strengthen the capacity of local leaders, residents and organizations to work together to develop and sustain strong, vibrant communities.

Please contact

Crystal Van PeltCommunity Development Extension Educator260-668-1000 [email protected]

OR

mailto:[email protected]

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