Snapshot: Lincoln County employment and wages

(Davenport, WA July 15, 2019) Recent statistics from the Employment Security Department (ESD) show growth in the labor force and an increase in wages. Here are the ESD’s most current statistics for Lincoln County.

From May 2017 to May 2019, the county’s population grew from 10,700 to 10,960. ESD reports that the county’s labor force grew as the population grew, yet the number of unemployed – those persons who do not have a job, but are available to work plus those who are laid off and waiting to go back – has not increased, holding steady around 225. In May, Lincoln County had a labor force of 5,154 of which 4,929 were employed and 225 were unemployed, equaling an unemployment rate of 4.4%. Only 5 out of 39 counties had lower unemployment rates than Lincoln. According to ESD, 60% of Lincoln County’s labor force works at jobs outside the county and those jobs are included in the 4,929 employed.

ESD’s wage information lags behind labor force information with the most current being 2017. The median hourly wage for Lincoln County’s labor force in 2017 was $15.03 and reflected a 9.46% increase over 2015’s wage of $14.22. Median wage is the wage between the highest-paid 50% of jobs and the lowest-paid 50% of jobs, excluding government employment. Annual average wage for 2017 was $36,289, a 4% increase over 2016. Annual average wage is computed by adding the total wages for the county and dividing by the total hours worked.