Economic presentation: Washington County's labor force growing but wages lag countywide averages

County staff presented labor-market data to the Board of Supervisors, highlighting recent gains and areas targeted for economic recruiting.

Justin Birch, a staff presenter, told the board the county received a $10,000 grant to work with Energy and Vision First to build out workforce data. "Our labor shed has grown to include about a 17-county area," Birch said, summarizing data the county plans to use for industrial recruitment. He said the broader labor shed's average annual wage has climbed to about $52,000, while Washington County's average remains near $43,000.

Birch reported a roughly 1.2 percent job growth for the area and a 2.9 percent wage increase over the period measured. He identified the top five industry sectors in the county as health care, retail trade, accommodation and food services, educational services and manufacturing, and recommended the county emphasize recruitment in health care, manufacturing and educational services because they offer higher wages.

Board members asked questions about how students in middle-college programs and CTE participants count in the statistics. Birch said completion-based counts likely reflect students who have taken accredited college hours and that career-technical education certificates are included in the county's 12,000 CTE count.

Birch said the county's manufacturing turnover rate was 5.6 percent compared with a state average of 7.6 percent and that the county has a median age of 38. The packet he provided includes the data and citations staff said they will incorporate into recruitment and an upcoming economic development summit.