Greene County employment growth second in state

Data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that employment levels grew in six of Missouri’s seven largest counties in the 12 months ending September 2011, with Greene County recording the second-largest increase.

Boone County led the state with 2.4 percent employment growth in the third quarter, compared to the year before, and Greene County employment grew by 1.6 percent, according to a Labor Department news release. Statewide employment increased 0.6 percent to 2.61 million workers in September, with average wages 5.2 percent higher at $804 per week.

Missouri’s seven largest counties – each with more than 75,000 employed – accounted for roughly 60 percent of the state’s total employment. Among the seven counties, Greene County recorded the lowest average weekly wage at $714 but the highest among the five-county Springfield metropolitan statistical area. The MSA employed 180,242 in September, according to the preliminary BLS report.
 
The MSA employment by county, along with the average weekly wages:

• Greene; 149,426; $714
• Christian; 14,584; $554
• Polk; 7,506; $644
• Webster; 6,349; $547
• Dallas; 2,377; $455

 
Employment in Missouri’s largest counties, along with the average weekly wages:

• St. Louis; 564,300; $970
• Jackson; 340,400; $925
• St. Louis City; 219,100; $1,013
• Greene; 149,400; $714
• St. Charles; 124,400; $731
• Clay; 90,200; $844
• Boone; 84,400; $733