LAPORTE COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILE
LaPorte County is located in Northwest Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Starke County. The County is adjacent to St. Joseph County on the east, Lake Michigan and the State of Michigan are to the north, and Porter County to the west. LaPorte 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.
LaPorte County’s population estimate for 2008 was 110,888, up 0.7 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, 59,409 people twenty-five years of age and over were high school high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 80.6 percent of LaPorte County’s twenty-five and over population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 10,312 or 14 percent were four-year college graduates or higher, ranking LaPorte County 36th highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. In 2007, 1,045 persons graduated high school and 570 or 54.5 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageLaPorte County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2008 was 6.2 percent, above Indiana’s annual average of 5.9 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 52,597. Of that labor force, 49,321 were employed and 3,276 were unemployed. LaPorte County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 3.3 percent in 2000. The rate rose to 6.8 percent by 2002.
Labor force pageIn 2007 persons living in but commuting to work out of LaPorte County was 11,816 or 16.8 percent of the labor force. Approximately 83.2 percent of LaPorte County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside LaPorte County where the largest number of residents went to work was Porter County. In 2007 person commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 7,810 or 11.7 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Porter County.
Commutting pageIn 2008, LaPorte County businesses had an average of 44,310 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Manufacturing, Government (all levels), and Health Care & Social Assistance dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 50.0 percent of the county’s 2008 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 8,869 jobs, accounting for 20.0 percent of total employment. Total covered employment was down 0.8 percent between 2004 and 2008. Transportation and Warehousing showed the most job growth between 2004 and 2008, increasing 319 jobs or 25.8 percent. Educational Services was second, adding 207 jobs or 6.4 percent. Management of Companies and Enterprises had the largest percentage gain at 28.6 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2008 earnings for LaPorte County was $33,506 per year versus Indiana’s $38,405. The average industry wage rose by $3,439 or 11.4 percent from 2004 to 2008. Utilities industry had the highest average earnings at $80,178 per year, with the Construction industry second at $51,063, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $11,345. Per capita income for 2007 was $28,945 in LaPorte County, up 17.6 percent since 2002.
Industry earnings pageLaPorte County has 2,520 firms, with 67 firms or about 2.7 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 71.4 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers fell 4.5 per cent or 84 firms between 1999 and 2008 to total 1,799 firms in 2008.
Firms page