{"id":1912,"date":"2026-02-25T11:27:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wallawallatrends.org\/newsletter\/?page_id=1912"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:27:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:27:14","slug":"feb26_main2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wallawallatrends.org\/newsletter\/feb26_main2\/","title":{"rendered":"Government continues to lead top five employing sectors — consistency is key!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Dr. Kelley Cullen<\/strong><\/p>

Understanding the structure of\u00a0the local economy and\u00a0how it\u00a0changes over time is important for\u00a0promoting\u00a0long-term\u00a0economic\u00a0growth\u00a0in a region.\u00a0And while it is true that having a\u00a0dynamic\u00a0economy, one\u00a0that can respond to external shocks,\u00a0is desirable, there\u00a0is also much to be said for\u00a0stability\u00a0that comes\u00a0with\u00a0a steady\u00a0distribution of jobs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Over the past\u00a0two decades,\u00a0the employment shares\u00a0claimed by the top five largest sectors\u00a0in Walla Walla County\u00a0have\u00a0remained\u00a0remarkably consistent and more concentrated than the broader state average.\u00a0The\u00a0lack of movement\u00a0in the numbers\u00a0might seem a bit boring\u00a0to some observers,\u00a0but\u00a0to\u00a0residents\u00a0this\u00a0absence\u00a0of volatility should provide some comfort and allow for\u00a0easier\u00a0decision-making\u00a0with respect to\u00a0local\u00a0employment and earnings opportunities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Walla Walla Trends 1.3.5<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Shares of\u00a0Employment in the\u00a0Five\u00a0Largest\u00a0Employing\u00a0Sectors\u00a0uses the two-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)\u00a0codes\u00a0to\u00a0determine\u00a0the highest employing sectors for the county\u00a0and benchmarks against the state.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

With the Veteran\u2019s Administration, the Army Corps of\u00a0Engineers\u00a0and the State Penitentiary, it is not surprising that the government sector is the largest. In fact, one of every five workers in the county is employed by federal,\u00a0state\u00a0or local governments.\u00a0Educators employed by public\u00a0K-12\u00a0districts\u00a0often\u00a0comprise\u00a0a large portion\u00a0of\u00a0local\u00a0government jobs in a\u00a0county.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Over the past two decades, the share of government employment in the county has\u00a0increased slightly\u00a0-\u00a0from 20 to 22%, an increase of around 1,200 jobs in total.\u00a0Of that increase, 700 jobs were added in just the past five years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Not only is the\u00a0number\u00a0of jobs key, but the earnings they bring to local families\u00a0are\u00a0important as well. Looking at data from the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages (QCEW), in 2024, the\u00a0VA Hospital\u2019s\u00a0nearly 500\u00a0jobs\u00a0averaged\u00a0earnings\u00a0of\u00a0nearly $90,000.\u00a0The State Penitentiary\u2019s 1,122 jobs averaged\u00a0nearly $94,000\u00a0annually.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

On the other hand, not all government employees are paid the same and\u00a0public educators,\u00a0nearly 1,600\u00a0jobs in\u00a02024,\u00a0averaged\u00a0earnings\u00a0of\u00a0over $55,000.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The second largest sector in the county by employment is health care and social assistance.\u00a0This sector is\u00a0largely comprised\u00a0of health care workers and\u00a0has increased from 13%\u00a0to 16% over the past two decades,\u00a0or\u00a0over 1,200 workers\u00a0over the two decades. However, after a\u00a0significant\u00a0jump of 700 workers in\u00a02014\u00a0to over 4,400\u00a0workers\u00a0total,\u00a0employment\u00a0in\u00a0this sector has\u00a0remained\u00a0flat over the past ten years. Since 2014, the share of this sector has\u00a0fallen\u00a0slightly,\u00a0by\u00a0nearly one\u00a0percentage point\u00a0(16.6%\u00a0to 15.7%).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Similar in size, the\u00a0third\u00a0largest sector in the county\u00a0by employment\u00a0is\u00a0manufacturing; its share\u00a0has fallen slightly by less than a single percentage point,\u00a0from 14.5% to 13.6% over the two decades\u00a0since 2004. Manufacturing\u00a0employment\u00a0reached\u00a0its peak\u00a0in 2019 with over 4,000 jobs throughout the\u00a0county but\u00a0in the past five years. has\u00a0declined\u00a0 slightly,\u00a0by 150 jobs\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Employment in agriculture\u00a0is\u00a0up\u00a0over\u00a0600 workers in the past two decades,\u00a0but\u00a0with just over 100 workers added in the past five years. Over the past couple\u00a0decades, the share\u00a0of employment for agriculture\u00a0has crept up from 12%\u00a0to 13% of total employment for the county, placing the\u00a0sector\u00a0fourth overall.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Like\u00a0the health care and social\u00a0assistance\u00a0sector,\u00a0the share of retail trade\u00a0\u2013 the fifth largest sector -\u00a0has fallen by a single percentage point from 9% to\u00a08% despite the number of employees\u00a0remaining\u00a0nearly flat\u00a0over the past two decades.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The flat trajectory of\u00a0share of employment by the top five sectors in the county mirrors\u00a0and contrasts with\u00a0the trends in nearby Yakima County & Benton County.\u00a0<\/span>Walla Walla Trends\u00a01.3.6<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Concentration of\u00a0Employment in Top Five 2-Digit NAICS Industry Sectors\u00a0compares the total share of employment made up of the top five sectors in each county. While Benton County\u00a0enjoys more\u00a0diversity among its sectors and hence\u00a0a lower concentration\u00a0ratio, Yakima County\u2019s\u00a0top five\u00a0concentration and overall\u00a0flat\u00a0trend\u00a0nearly exactly\u00a0mirror\u00a0that of Walla Walla.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So\u00a0if the past\u00a0structure of the local economy is\u00a0an indication\u00a0of what might\u00a0come,\u00a0this\u00a0continuing\u00a0strong decades-long stability in\u00a0sustained employment by government, health, manufacturing,\u00a0agriculture\u00a0and retail trade sectors\u00a0should allow for reliable and informed decision-making by firms,\u00a0households\u00a0and policymakers.\u00a0And\u00a0the stability\u00a0should therefore provide\u00a0a strong foundation\u00a0for continued economic growth\u00a0in Walla Walla County.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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