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 2006 was 76,541, up 3.4 percent from the 2000 Census total. During this same time period, Indiana’s total 2006 population estimate of 6,313,520 was up by 3.8 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. For the 2004-2005 school year, 821 persons graduated high school and 626 or 76.2 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageKosciusko County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2006 was 4.8 percent, below Indiana’s annual average of 5.0 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 42,570. Of that labor force, 40,515 were employed and 2,055 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 2005 persons living in but commuting to work out of Kosciusko County was 7,721 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 2005 person commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 7,413 or 14.2 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Whitley County.
Commutting pageIn 2006, Kosciusko County businesses had an average of 35,372 jobs. Three major industry sectors: Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Government (all levels) dominated the county in terms of employment. These three industry sectors accounted for 62.3 percent of the county’s 2006 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 15,199 jobs, accounting for 43.0 percent of total employment. Total covered employment was up 6.7 percent between 2002 and 2006. Wholesale Trade showed the most job growth between 2002 and 2006, increasing 378 jobs or 52.5 percent. Manufacturing was second, adding 367 jobs or 2.5 percent. Wholesale Trade had the largest percentage gain at 52.5 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2006 earnings for Kosciusko County was $36,953 per year versus Indiana’s $36,411. The average industry wage rose by $3,714 or 11.2 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Wholesale Trade industry had the highest average earnings at $67,917 per year, with the Management of Companies and Enterprises industry second at $66,939, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $10,652. Per capita income for 2005 was $32,054 in Kosciusko County, up 48.3 percent since 1995.
Industry earnings pageKosciusko County has 1,839 firms, with 52 firms or about 2.8 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 71.2 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers rose by 4.8 per cent or 60 firms between 1999 and 2006 to total 1,309 firms in 2006.
Firms page