KOSCIUSKO COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILEKosciusko County is located in Mid-Northern Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Fulton and Wabash Counties. The County is adjacent to Noble and Whitley Counties on the east, Elkhart County is to the north, and Marshall County to the west. Kosciusko 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.
Kosciusko County’s population estimate for 2007 was 76,150, up 2.8 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, 38,439 people twenty-five years of age and over were high school high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 81.6 percent of Kosciusko County’s twenty-five and over population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 6,998 or 14.9 percent were four-year college graduates or higher, ranking Kosciusko County 25th highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. In 2006, 853 persons graduated high school and 663 or 77.7 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageKosciusko County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2007 was 4.4 percent, below Indiana’s annual average of 4.5 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 41,250. Of that labor force, 39,440 were employed and 1,810 were unemployed. Kosciusko County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 2.3 percent in 1999. The rate rose to 4.7 percent by 2002.
Labor force pageIn 2007 persons living in but commuting to work out of Kosciusko County was 7,911 or 14.8 percent of the labor force. Approximately 85.2 percent of Kosciusko County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside Kosciusko County where the largest number of residents went to work was Elkhart County. In 2007 persons commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 7,681 or 14.5 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Whitley County.
Commutting pageIn 2007, Kosciusko County businesses had an average of 35,212 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Health Care and Social Assistance dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 61.1 percent of the county’s 2007 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 14,769 jobs, accounting for 41.9 percent of total employment. Total covered employment was up 4.0 percent between 2004 and 2007. Administrative and Waste Services showed the most job growth between 2004 and 2007, increasing 404 jobs or 48.6 percent. Health Care and Social Assistance was second, adding 383 jobs or 13.7 percent. Transportation and Warehousing had the largest percentage gain at 77.5 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2007 earnings for Kosciusko County was $40,750 per year versus Indiana’s $37,529. The average industry wage rose by $2,717 or 7.1 percent from 2004 to 2007. The Wholesale Trade industry had the highest average earnings at $86,996 per year, with the Management of Companies and Enterprises industry second at $61,097, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $10,884. Per capita income for 2006 was $33,157 in Kosciusko County, up 19.8 percent since 2002.
Industry earnings pageKosciusko County has 1,865 firms, with 53 firms or about 2.8 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 71.9 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers rose by 7.4 per cent or 92 firms between 1999 and 2007 to total 1,341 firms in 2007.
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