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1.3.5 Share of Employment in 5 Largest Employing Sectors
Why is this important?
The structure of a local economy is revealed, to a large degree, by the relative employment levels among its top sectors. Different sectors usually show different average wage levels, so the percentage of people employed in various sectors also gives insight into the total wage earnings. Wages vary by many factors, including the education or training required of the job, the supply of job-seekers, regional demand for certain skills, experience of the job seeker, as well as the pull of other nearby labor markets. Wage variation by sector may guide job-seekers or students in their choice of educational specialization. It may also inform providers of education and workforce training about their program design and offerings. See indicator 3.15 for the annual average wage in these sectors.
This indicator tracks the path of the five, two-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sectors with the highest employment levels. The shares of the five largest employing sectors for Washington State serve as benchmarks. Note that the top five sectors in the state may not be the same as in the county (here, the top four sectors in the county are compared to the same five sectors in the state). Data come from the Labor Market and Economic Analysis branch of the Washington State Employment Security Department. The specific series is: Nonfarm Industry Employment on the page "Data Analysts" (Quick Links). The series does not include the self-employed and those working on farms.
Government includes employees of federal, state, and municipal entities. Educators employed by public entities (K-12, higher education), as well as those employed by the military, are also a part of government. The sector for health care and social assistance is largely composed of health care workers.
This indicator tracks the shares of employment in the top-five sectors, as ranked by their number of employees for Walla Walla County. Washington State is offered as a benchmark. Additional information, including the actual number of employees in 20 different sectors in both the county and the state, can be found in the “Download Data” section.
Where are we?
During 2024 in Walla Walla County, the shares of employment in the top five employing sectors were:
- 21.9% in Government, increasing from 19.9% in 2004.
- 15.7% in Health Care and Social Assistance, increasing from 12.8% in 2004.
- 13.6% in Manufacturing, decreasing from 14.5% in 2004.
- 12.9% in Agriculture, increasing from 12.1% in 2004.
- 8.3% in Retail Trade, decreasing from 9.3% in 2004.
By comparison in Washington State during 2024, the shares of the same sectors were:
- 16.4% in Government, decreasing from 18.5% in 2004.
- 13.1% in Health Care and Social Assistance, increasing from 10.1% in 2004.
- 7.5% in Manufacturing, decreasing from 9.6% in 2004.
- 2.6% in Agriculture, decreasing from 3.0% in 2004.
- 9.1% in Retail Trade, decreasing from 11.2% in 2004.
Data Sources
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Under the heading titled "QCEW Data," select "Data Viewer," which will take you to the Employment and Wages Data Viewer page.
- For county data, in the box to the left of the screen select item 7, "NAICS sectors, one area," and search for desired county.
- Select "Annual Averages" under the "Quarter" drop down menu. Get separate tables for "Private," "State Government," "Local Government," and "Federal Government."
- In each table, filter in descending order by annual average employment to locate the top employing sectors.
Notes: Share of employment is calculated by taking the total of one sector and dividing it by that area's total employment.
For the Agriculture Forestry and Fishing total, select item 8, "NAICS sub-sectors, one area" in step 2 and only get a table for the private sector. Add all sub-sectors beginning with "NAICS 11--" to find the total employment for the agriculture sector.
For the Government total, select item 12, "All industry levels, one area" in step 2 and get separate tables only for the different government levels. Use the top row, "10 Total, all industries" from each level and add together for total employment of the government sector.