Comparison of the Industries of Uinta, Goshen, Johnson, Converse and Washakie Counties

by: Gayle C. Edlin
Data Provided by: Nancy Brennan

Continuing the county analysis which began in the February issue of Wyoming Labor Force TRENDS, data from the ES-202 (Covered Employment and Wages) for third quarter 1995 (refer to the April issue, "Covered Employment and Wages for Third Quarter 1995 (includes Tables)", for the complete data set) produced the following figures for Wyoming (Statewide) and the selected counties.

Each figure includes twelve major industries. The percent of covered employment in each industry appears next to the industry name. Bold numbers indicate the number of covered workers in the top four industries (by employment) for the state or county for third quarter 1995.


 


The four largest industries statewide are again Services (22.7%), Retail Trade (21.6%), Local Government (13.3%) and Mining (7.9%). Construction experienced a seasonal increase from second quarter 1995 to third quarter 1995 (6.8% of covered workers to 7.3%). Covered employment in State Government declined slightly over the same time period (5.5% to 5.2%).


 


The top four industries in Uinta County mirror the four largest industries statewide. Services and Retail Trade match the statewide proportions very closely. Compared to statewide proportionate covered employment, Mining, Transportation & Public Utilities, Local Government and State Government are each approximately 2.0 percent higher in Uinta County than statewide.


 


Local Government is the top industry in Goshen County, followed by Services and Retail Trade in the pattern established by other sparsely populated counties. Atypically, however, Manufacturing is the fourth largest employer in Goshen County (8.3% of the covered workforce) while Mining, the fourth largest industry statewide, is virtually non-existent in Goshen County.


 


Retail Trade, Services, Local Government and Construction were Johnson County's four major industries in third quarter 1995. The fact that Retail Trade, Services and Local Government were all proportionately larger in Johnson County than statewide resulted in all other industries being smaller, with the exceptions of Agriculture and Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate.


 


Typical of counties with small covered workforces, Local Government is the largest employing industry in Converse County. Retail Trade, Mining and Services round out the top four industries. Compared to the statewide proportion, Services is halved in Converse County (22.7% versus 11.6%) while Transportation & Public Utilities is doubled (5.2% versus 9.5%).


 


While Washakie County has a comparatively small covered workforce, Local Government is only the fourth largest industry. Covered employment in Manufacturing, the county's third largest industry, is triple the statewide proportion (14.2% versus 4.5%). Agriculture, Transportation & Public Utilities and Federal Government are also above statewide proportions.


Uinta, Goshen, Johnson, Converse and Washakie Counties are as diverse industrially as they are geographically. Interestingly, while Goshen, Johnson and Converse Counties conform to the standard that counties with comparatively small population bases have larger proportions of covered employees in Local Government, Washakie County does not. This may be due to Washakie County's larger portions of covered workers in the industries of Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation & Public Utilities and Federal Government. Again, as noted in the April issue of TRENDS, Construction may not hold as Johnson County's fourth largest industry when annual average covered employment is examined later this year.

The June issue of TRENDS will explore the dominant industries of the five geographic regions within Wyoming: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast and Central.

Gayle C. Edlin is a Senior Statistician with Research & Planning and is Editor of Wyoming Labor Force TRENDS.



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