Gross Domestic Product
Real GDP (a measure of economic growth) increased from 2009-2017, going from $65 billion to $76 billion.
Jobs
Private-sector employers have added 70,000 jobs since 2010, the national low point for private-sector employment. From 2017 to 2018 the private sector added 6,000 new jobs. There were 535,000 total jobs in the private sector in 2018, above pre-recession levels by 30,000. Average hourly wages in the private sector have grown since 2008, going from $20.50/hr to $27.50/hr in 2018.
Manufacturing employment decreased since 2001, especially during the recession but slightly recovered since 2011. There were 14,000 jobs in this sector in 2018, down from 16,500 in 2001 and below pre-recession levels of 15,000. Average hourly wages of manufacturing employees have grown since 2015, going from $18.50/hr to $23.50/hr by 2018.
There were 33,000 jobs in the Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities sector in 2018, the same as before the recession, showing a full recovery in this sector. The average wage in this sector has been growing since 2008, going from $18.50/hr to $26.50/hr in 2017.
Unemployment
The unemployment rate in 2018 is 2%, down from the prior year’s 2.5% rate. This is far below the national average of 3.9% unemployment.
Housing
The Consumer Price Index (a measure of cost of living) has increased since 2000, increasing from 177 to 270 in 2017.
