Merced County One-Year Industry Employment Change

Employment for all industries has increased by 3.1 percent from 2005 (2nd Quarter). These figures are greater than percent in the State of California, experiencing a gain of 2.1 percent since the 2nd Quarter of 2005. The gains the area experienced were greater than than the gain seen for the United States of 2.0 percent.

Merced County One-Year Percentage Decline in Employment

The Employment services industry has seen the largest percentage drop in employment, losing 54.1 percent of the jobs from the 2nd quarter of 2005 to 2nd quarter of 2006. The losses of the area have declined faster than the industry has seen in the California, where the industry felt a gain of 4 percent. The losses in the Employment services industry in Merced County outpaced the losses of nation as a whole in the industry. In this time period, the nation gained 3.1 in percent of workers in the Employment services industry.

Top 5 Industries
1. Employment services (54.1 percent decline)
2. Nonresidential building construction (43.6 percent decline)
3. Drinking places, alcoholic beverages (27.1 percent decline)
4. Accounting and bookkeeping services (22.4 percent decline)
5. Professional and similar organizations (20.6 percent decline)

Merced County One-Year Percentage Growth in Employment

The Community care facilities for the elderly industry has witnessed the largest percentage of employment expansion, increasing by 35.8 percent from the 2005 (Q2) to the 2006 (Q2). This industry in Merced County has added employment faster than the industry job growth experienced in California, where the industry felt a gain of 4.2 percent. The Community care facilities for the elderly industry in Merced County outpaced the national average, which felt a gained 3.9 percent of the industry employment.

Top 5 Industries
1. Community care facilities for the elderly (35.8 percent gain)
2. Offices of real estate agents and brokers (33.3 percent gain)
3. Limited-service eating places (23.3 percent gain)
4. Offices of other health practitioners (18.0 percent gain)
5. Sawmills and wood preservation (11.5 percent gain)

Given the 32 industries with industry data reported by the BLS in each quarter, 16 showed an escalation in the number employed, while 15 industry sectors accounting for employment declines during that time period.

Total One-Year Employment Growth in Merced County

Of the industries (4-digit NAICS) in the area, the Limited-service eating places industry has brought the most jobs with a total of 47 total jobs brought in during the period. The growth in the Limited-service eating places industry makes up 42.3 percent of the total employment growth in Merced County.

Top 5 Industries
1. Limited-service eating places (47 new jobs)
2. Sawmills and wood preservation (19 new jobs)
3. Full-service restaurants (10 new jobs)
4. Community care facilities for the elderly (8 new jobs)
5. Machinery and supply merchant wholesalers (6 new jobs)

In Merced County, California, the total number of jobs throughout all industries has increased by 3 jobs between mid-2005 and mid-2006.

Total One-Year Employment Decline in Merced County

The Household and institutional furniture mfg. industry experienced most substantial job loss, losing 43 jobs. The declines in the Household and institutional furniture mfg. industry make up 27.9 percent of the total employment decline in Merced County, California.

Top 5 Industries
1. Household and institutional furniture mfg. (43 jobs lost)
2. Employment services (33 jobs lost)
3. Professional and similar organizations (15 jobs lost)
4. Gasoline stations (12 jobs lost)
5. Drinking places, alcoholic beverages (11 jobs lost)





About: This report is part 1 of 6 in the eCanned.com Industry Analysis Series.

Datasource: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). Private Sector Employment Only.

Income and Poverty in Merced County, California

Contrasted against to other counties (or parishes) throughout the US, Merced County, California can be understood to have a relatively high rate of poverty among its population, accounting a rate of 21.7 percent of people living in a family with an income below the poverty level in 1999. The Asian race/ethnicity population category, holds the highest rate of poverty with 38.8 percent of the population in 2000 living in poverty. Individuals aged Under 5 years are experiencing most percent people in poverty in Merced County, accounting 30.5 percent of this age group in the area living in poverty.

When analyzed against other counties (and parishes) in the US, Merced County reported a medium-high median income for all households of $41,572 (Adjusted to 2005 Dollars). This figure is 33.7 percent lower than the household income median in State of California of $55,567 and the median household income is 18.2 percent lower than the median for the rest of the nation, which is a reported $49,133.

The poverty rate in Merced County, California has declined by 3.6 percent since the 2000 rates, moving from 21.7 percent to 18.1 percent.

Black or African American headed households had median income levels that were 28.4 percent less than the all population median published in the 2000 Census, with a median of $29,781. In Merced County, California White headed households reported a median household income (2005 Dollars) of $45,775 according to the 2000 Dencennial Census, which was 10.1 percent greater than the median income in 2000. Hispanic in Merced County, California , according to the 2000 census, had a median household income of $34,964, this income level is 15.9 percent less than the areas median income level for all households. The American Indian and Alaska Native headed households in Merced County had a median income of $36,228, this level was 12.9 percent less than the median for all households. It was reported in 2000 that the Asian headed households had median household incomes of $35,685. This median income level is 14.2 percent less than the reported median household income for all households in the area.

As the median income level saw a decline during the period of 2000 to 2005 in Merced County, California, the Race/Ethnicity group that experienced the largest decline in median income was the White category. This group felt a decline of 7.3 percent from 2000 to 2005. The Asian Race/Ethnicity group has been least impacted by the median income decline in Merced County, seeing a 29.8 percent increase in median income, since the values reported in the 2000 Decennial Census.

The median household income has declined from the values (adjusted for inflation) in 2000. The median has decreased to $40,281, representing a 3.1 percent decline. Merced County, California, when comparing total percent of decline, ranks 15 of 23 counties in percent of decline for household income in California. Merced County ranks 556 of 668 counties (or parishes) when analyzing the decline in median income level for the United States.

Datasource: U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2000 Decennial Census. 2005 American Community Survey.