MARSHALL COUNTY LABOR MARKET PROFILEMarshall County is located in Mid-Northern Indiana. The county is bordered on the south by Fulton County. The County is adjacent to Kosciusko County on the east, St. Joseph County is to the north, and Starke County to the west. Marshall 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.
Marshall County’s population estimate for 2006 was 47,295, up 4.8 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, 22,782 people twenty-five years of age and over were high school high school graduates and/or had post-high school education. This amount represented 79.8 percent of Marshall County’s twenty-five and over population. For the twenty-five years of age and over population, 4,259 or 14.9 percent were four-year college graduates or higher, ranking Marshall County 25th highest among Indiana counties for percentage of this population who were college graduates or higher. For the 2004-2005 school year, 661 persons graduated high school and 530 or 80.2 percent intended to go on to higher education.
Education pageMarshall County’s estimated average unemployment rate for 2006 was 5.3 percent, above Indiana’s annual average of 5.0 percent. The county’s unemployment rate was based on an estimated average residential labor force of 23,337. Of that labor force, 22,141 were employed and 1,236 were unemployed. Marshall County’s unemployment rate reached a decade low of 2.6 percent in 1999. The rate rose to 5.5 percent by 2003.
Labor force pageIn 2005 persons living in but commuting to work out of Marshall County was 7,287 or 23.8 percent of the labor force. Approximately 76.2 percent of Marshall County’s working residents work in the county. The area outside Marshall County where the largest number of residents went to work was St. Joseph County. In 2005 person commuting to work into the county from outside areas was 4,787 or 17.1 percent of the work force. The area sending the most number of persons into the county to work was Starke County.
Commutting pageIn 2006, Marshall County businesses had an average of 18,742 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 58.0 percent of the county’s 2006 industry employment. The largest employing industry in the county was Manufacturing with 6,634 jobs, accounting for 35.4 percent of total employment. Total covered employment was up 2.9 percent between 2002 and 2006. Retail Trade showed the most job growth between 2002 and 2006, increasing 185 jobs or 10.7 percent. Health Care and Social Assistance was second, adding 159 jobs or 11.1 percent. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting had the largest percentage gain at 83.6 percent.
Industry employment pageThe average 2006 earnings for Marshall County was $30,109 per year versus Indiana’s $36,411. The average industry wage rose by $2,851 or 10.5 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Finance & Insurance industry had the highest average earnings at $43,096 per year, with the Management of Companies and Enterprises industry second at $42,683, while the industry with the lowest annual earnings number was Accommodation & Food Services at $10,202. Per capita income for 2005 was $26,905 in Marshall County, up nearly 37 percent since 1995.
Industry earnings pageMarshall County has 1,043 firms, with 38 firms or about 3.6 percent employing 100 or more workers, while firms employing fewer than 10 workers account for 67.4 percent. Also, the number firms employing fewer than 10 workers fell 8.2 per cent or 63 firms between 1999 and 2006 to total 703 firms in 2006.
Firms page