JASPER COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILEJasper County is located in Northwest Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Benton and White Counties. The County is adjacent to Starke and Pulaski Counties on the east, Lake and Porter Counties are to the north, and Newton County to the west. Jasper County is one of the seven counties located in the area designated by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development as Indiana Economic Growth Region 1.
Jasper County’s population estimate for 2008 was 32,544, up 8.3 percent from the 2000 Census total. During this same time period, Indiana’s total 2008 population estimate of 6,376,792 was up by 4.6 percent.
Population pageAccording to the 2000 Census, 15,588 people twenty-five years of age and over were high school high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 83.1 percent of Jasper County’s twenty-five and over population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 2,437 or 13 percent were four-year college graduates or higher, ranking Jasper County 43rd highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. For the 2007 school year, 382 persons graduated high school and 313 or 81.9 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageJasper County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2008 was 5.8 percent, below Indiana’s annual average of 5.9 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 15,653. Of that labor force, 14,739 were employed and 914 were unemployed. Jasper County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 3.3 percent in 2000. The rate rose to 5.8 percent by 2008.
Labor force pageIn 2007 persons living in but commuting to work out of Jasper County was 6,396 or 29.2 percent of the labor force. Approximately 70.8 percent of Jasper County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside Jasper County where the largest number of residents went to work was Lake County. In 2007 person commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 3,159 or 16.9 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Newton County.
Commutting pageIn 2008, Jasper County businesses had an average of 12,268 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Government (all levels), Manufacturing, and Health Care & Social Assistance dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 40.1 percent of the county’s 2008 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Government (all levels) with 1,944 jobs, accounting for 15.8 percent of total employment.
Total covered employment was up 5.5 percent between 2004 and 2008. Health Care & Social Assistance showed the most job growth between 2004 and 2008, increasing 435 jobs or 40.1 percent. Transportation & Warehousing was second, adding 367 jobs or 36.2 percent. Wholesale Trade had the largest percentage gain at 105.5 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2008 earnings for Jasper County was $33,188 per year versus Indiana’s $38,405. The average industry wage rose by $4,171 or 14.4 percent from 2004 to 2008. The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting industry had the highest average earnings at $48,654 per year, with the Wholesale Trade industry second at $44,827, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $9,738.
Per capita income for 2007 was $30,167 in Jasper County, up 22.9 percent since 2002.
Industry earnings pageJasper County has 817 firms, with 21 firms or about 2.6 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 73.7 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers rose 6.4 per cent or 36 firms between 1999 and 2008 to total 602 firms in 2008.
Firms page