 |
Labor Force Characteristics
The traditional definition of a labor force as being comprised of those residing within a
30-mile radius of a given community cannot be readily applied to Pine Bluff. Proximity to the
Little Rock metro area, with its higher prevailing wage rates, tends to skew the Pine Bluff
labor area to the south and west.
With the exception of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County, southeastern Arkansas tends to be
largely rural in character with numerous smaller urban areas. This region has traditionally
supplied the labor demand in Pine Bluff. The actual labor area is realistically defined as
encompassing the following counties, listed with their 2000 U. S. Census populations.
Counties
Arkansas
Bradley
Cleveland
Dallas
Drew
Desha
Grant
Hot Spring
Jefferson
Lincoln
Population Total
|
|
20,749
12,600
8,571
9,210
15,341
18,723
16,464
30,353
84,278
14,492
230,781
|
Age Distribution in Labor Area (based on 2000 census)
Under 5
5 to 14
15 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and over
|
|
15,238
33,340
33,579
29,108
34,453
30,950
11,940
21,853
32,260
|
|
6.6%
14.4%
14.6%
12.6%
14.9%
13.4%
9.5%
14.0%
|
Racial Composition of Labor Area (based on 2000 census)
Black
White
Hispanic & Other
|
|
32.8%
64.8%
2.5%
|
| Industry Type |
Avg. Covered Employment, 2004 |
Avg. Weekly Earnings, 2004 |
| Natural Resources & Mining |
488 |
$665.57 |
| Construction |
968 |
$591.74 |
| Manufacturing |
6,738 |
$727.89 |
| Wholesale Trade |
1,043 |
$614.39 |
| Retail Trade |
4,235 |
$354.19 |
Transportation,
Warehousing & Utilities |
815 |
$859.34 |
| Information |
220 |
$566.39 |
| Financial Activities |
1,199 |
$642.18 |
| Professional & Business Services |
2,449 |
$683.73 |
| Education & Health Services |
5,431 |
$539.38 |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
2,230 |
$193.38 |
| Other Services |
803 |
$408.86 |
| Local Government |
3,151 |
$541.09 |
| State Government |
2,985 |
$606.14 |
Unemployment Rates
| |
09/2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
1998 |
| United States |
4.9% |
4.0% |
4.2% |
4.5% |
| State of Arkansas |
4.9% |
4.4% |
4.5% |
5.5% |
| Pine Bluff MSA |
7.0% |
7.1% |
7.5% |
8.9% |
|
|
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