ELKHART COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILE
Elkhart County is located in Mid-Northern Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Kosciusko County. The County is adjacent to Lagrange County on the east, the State of Michigan is to the north, and St. Joseph County to the west. Elkhart County is one of the five counties located in the area designated by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development as Indiana Economic Growth Region 2.
Elkhart County’s population estimate for 2010 was 197,559, up 8.1 percent from the 2000 Census total. During this same time period, Indiana’s total 2010 population estimate of 6,445,295 was up by 5.8 percent.
Population pageAccording to the 2000 Census, 85,517 people twenty-five years of age or over were high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 75.7 percent of the twenty-five and up county population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 17,509 or 15.5 percent were four year college graduates or higher, ranking Elkhart County 22nd highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. In 2007, 2,054 persons graduated high school and 1,658 or 80.7 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageElkhart County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2010 was 13.6 percent, above Indiana’s annual average of 10.2 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 90,354. Of that labor force, 78,029 were employed and 12,325 were unemployed. Elkhart County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 2.2 percent in 1999. The rate rose to 17.5 percent by 2009.
Labor force pageIn 2009 persons living in but commuting to work out of Elkhart County was 8,166 or 6.9 percent of the labor force. Approximately 93.1 percent of Elkhart County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside Elkhart County where the largest number of residents went to work was St. Joseph County. In 2009 persons commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 23,568 or 17.5 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was St. Joseph County.
Commutting pageIn 2010, Elkhart County industry had an average of 100,138 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Manufacturing, Health Care & Social Assistance, and Retail Trade dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 62.0 percent of the county’s 2010 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 44,103 jobs, accounting for 44.0 percent of total employment.
Total covered employment was down 20.0 percent between 2005 and 2010. Government (all levels) showed the most job growth between 2005 and 2010, increasing 540 jobs or 6.8 percent. Health Care & Social Assistance was second, adding 315 jobs or 3.5 percent. Management of Companies and Enterprises had the largest percentage gain at 32.9 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2010 earnings for Elkhart County was $37,252 per year versus Indiana’s $39,255. The average industry wage rose by $1,679 or 4.7 percent from 2005 to 2010. The Management of Companies and Enterprises industry had the highest average earnings at $92,101 per year, with the Utilities industry second at $78,628, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $12,382. Per capita income for 2009 was $30,064 in Elkhart County, down 2.7 percent since 2004.
Industry earnings pageElkhart County has 4,825 firms as of 1st quarter 2011, with 190 firms or about 3.9 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 68.7 percent. The number firms employing fewer than 10 workers rose 12.1 per cent or 358 firms for the period 1st quarter 2001 and 1st quarter 2011 to total 3,314 firms in 2011. Total firms had a net increase of 142 or 3.0 percent from 1st quarter 2001.
Firms page