FULTON COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILEFulton County is located in Mid-Northern Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Cass and Miami Counties. The County is adjacent to Kosciusko County on the east, Marshall County is to the north, and Pulaski County to the west. Fulton 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.
Fulton County’s population estimate for 2007 was 20,317, downp 0.9 percent from the 2000 Census total. During this same time period, Indiana’s total 2007 population estimate of 6,344,881 was up by 4.3 percent.
Population pageAccording to the 2000 Census, 10,922 people twenty-five years of age and over were high school high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 80.2 percent of Fulton County’s twenty-five and over population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 1,401 or 10.3 percent were four-year college graduates or higher, ranking Fulton County 69th highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. In 2006, 160 persons graduated high school and 127 or 79.4 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageFulton County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2007 was 4.8 percent, above Indiana’s annual average of 4.5 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 10,411. Of that labor force, 9,911 were employed and 500 were unemployed. Fulton County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 3.9 percent in 1999 and again in 2000. The rate rose to 6.2 percent by 2003.
Labor force pageIn 2007 persons living in but commuting to work out of Fulton County was 3,000 or 20.9 percent of the labor force. Approximately 79.1 percent of Fulton County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside Fulton County where the largest number of residents went to work was Kosciusko County. In 2007 person commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 1,598 or 12.3 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Miami County.
Commutting pageIn 2007, Fulton County industry had an average of 6,868 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Manufacturing, Government (all levels), and Retail Trade dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 65.3 percent of the county’s 2007 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 2,434 jobs, accounting for 35.4 percent of total employment. Total covered employment was up 2.9 percent between 2004 and 2007. Construction showed the most job growth between 2004 and 2007, increasing 101 jobs or 39.1 percent. Government (all levels) was second, adding 74 jobs or 6.5 percent. Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing had the largest percentage gain at 47.2 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2007 earnings for Fulton County was $31,125 per year versus Indiana’s $37,529. The average industry wage rose by $2,336 or 8.1 percent from 2004 to 2007. The Construction industry had the highest average earnings at $47,671 per year, with the Finance and Insurance industry second at $47,406, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $9,171. Per capita income for 2006 was $27,438 in Fulton County, up 17.7 percent since 2002.
Industry earnings pageFulton County has 459 firms, with 14 firms or about 3.1 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 69.9 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers fell 8.9 per cent or 32 firms between 1999 and 2007 to total 329 firms in 2007.
Firms page