Job growth in Oakland County — up 11 percent since 2010 — has outpaced other counties of similar population in the U.S., Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced today.
“Oakland County plays a significant role in Michigan’s economic recovery because of our deep dive into the knowledge-based economy,” Patterson says. “And from the looks of it, we are a leader in the nation as well.”
Using the May 2014 jobs numbers just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dan Riley, a market research analyst for Oakland County’s department of economic development and community affairs, compared job growth since 2010 in Oakland County to other counties of similar size:
- Oakland County — 11 percent
- Wake County, N.C. — 10 percent
- Macomb County, Mich. — 9.4 percent
- Hennepin County, Minn. — 6.6 percent
- Orange County, Calif. — 6.2 percent
- Fairfield County, Conn. — 3.9 percent
- Nassau County, N.Y. — 2.4 percent
- Fairfax County, Va. — 2.3 percent
- Montgomery County, Md. — 2.2 percent
The May 2014 jobs figures from the bureau indicate that Oakland County’s labor force increased by 5,600 to 594,916 workers from the previous month, while the number of employed residents grew by 2,800. Because of more participation in Oakland County’s workforce, the May unemployment figure for Oakland County is 6.9 percent, up from 6.5 percent in April.
“Greater participation in our county workforce indicates that individuals have growing confidence in our economy,” Patterson says.
