Published May-3-2013
Securities, commodity contracts, and investments have the highest average wages per job in Jackson County, at just over $90,000 annual average pay per job. Utilities came in a close second place at $87,943. While these sectors pay well, they only have a combined job count of about 370.
The highest-paying industries in Jackson County are quite diverse and include apparel, chemical, and transportation manufacturing; wood and machinery manufacturing; and data processing, hosting, and related services. The average wage in ambulatory health care services and hospitals exceeds $50,000 per year, showing the economic benefits of having many health care jobs in the Rogue Valley. Management of companies also ranks near the top of industry pay in Jackson County.
Other high-paying industries in the goods-producing category include computer and electronic, chemical, and fabricated metal manufacturing. High-paying sectors are not confined to manufacturing. High-paying service-related industries include electronic markets, agents, and brokers; telecommunications; ambulatory health care services; insurance carriers; and publishing industries. Graph 1 shows the top paying industries in Jackson County.
In Jackson County, food services and drinking places have the largest number of private-sector jobs, with more than 6,400 in 2012, but average wage per job was just $15,467 per year. The next two largest industries are health-care related, totaling 8,600 jobs with average wages exceeding $50,000 in 2012. Large retail trade industries include general merchandise stores, food and beverage stores, and motor vehicle and parts dealers. The only manufacturing industry near the top of the largest industry list is wood product manufacturing - still providing more than 1,700 jobs in 2012 in Jackson County. The importance of the retirement industry is evident in the 2,600 jobs that are in the nursing and residential care facilities industry.
In Josephine County, the top two industries of employment were food services and drinking places, and ambulatory health care services. Nursing and residential care facilities had the third-most jobs in 2012.
Josephine County's retail trade industries with the most jobs were food and beverage stores, general merchandises stores, and motor vehicle and parts dealers. Top manufacturing industries include wood products, and furniture and related product manufacturing. Graph 4 displays Josephine County's covered employment by detailed industry category in 2012.
Graph 5 contrasts Jackson and Josephine counties employment by broad industry category.
You might speculate that Jackson County would have a higher percentage of retail trade with the number of big box stores, supercenters, and retail giants like Harry and David calling Jackson County home. In fact, retail trade accounts for 16.1 percent of both counties' payroll employment. Josephine County has a slightly higher percentage of employment in wholesale trade and manufacturing than JacksonCounty. Josephine County also has a higher percentage of employment in (private) educational and health services. Jackson County has twice the concentration of federal government jobs, 2.2 percent compared to 1.1 percent in Josephine County. Jackson County also has a higher percentage of its employment in transportation, warehousing and utilities; information; and professional and business services than neighboring Josephine County.
Information from payroll tax records of firms and government entities who participate in the unemployment insurance tax program are one of the lynch-pin data elements analyzed by the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department. Preliminary data for 2012 are now available on QualityInfo.org. Quarterly and annual average payroll data, and monthly/annual average employment data are available by industry. You can access these data at QualityInfo.org, Select "industry trends" and click on "covered employment and wages" under the resources section.