Job growth in Greene County matched the nation's 0.9 percent rate between June 2010 and June 2011, ranking the county 134th in the nation, according to a Jan. 10 news release by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
During that 12-month period, employment increased in 215 of the 322 largest U.S. counties, according to the BLS.
Greene County notched the fourth highest job growth rate in the state among the six counties with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2010. Boone, Clay and St. Charles Counties posted increases of 1.9 percent, 1.6 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. St. Louis County stayed flat and Jackson County declined by 0.5 percent between June 2010 and June 2011.
The BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data also showed the second-quarter 2011 average weekly wage in Greene County was $680 per week, the lowest in the state among Missouri’s six largest counties. Greene ranked 272 out of 322 counties in the U.S. for average weekly wages. The second lowest Missouri average wage, $697 per week, was in Boone County. St. Louis County recorded the highest average wages in the state at $924 per week.
Ottawa, Mich., posted the largest increase among large counties in the country, with a gain of 4.7 percent during the year. Within Ottawa, the largest employment increase occurred in manufacturing, which mirrored a national trend. The BLS reported manufacturing gained 2,514 jobs, a 9 percent increase, between June 2010 and June 2011.
San Joaquin County in California posted the largest decrease in employment among the largest U.S. counties with a decline of 4 percent.
In the second quarter of 2011, the U.S. average weekly wage rose by 3 percent to $891, according to the BLS.
In December, the newly created Fourth Economy Community Index, which measures a community’s ability to attract and retain modern investment,
Greene County was ranked No. 5 among midsize counties.
The index, conducted by Pittsburgh, Pa.-based economic development solutions provider Fourth Economy Consulting, named 10 counties in the midsize list. Greene County was the only Missouri county ranked in the index.
Last month,
Springfield was listed third in a ranking of American cities by job growth from November 2010 to October 2011. Researchers at financial news company 24/7 Wall St. LLC utilized BLS data to determine the rankings, according to SBJ archives.
During the last year, employers added more than 3,610 jobs in the city, equating to roughly 5 percent job growth, according to a recent news release from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area grew at roughly the same rate, adding 9,459 jobs during 2011.
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