Labor Force
Lake County has a highly skilled and well-trained workforce ready to meet the needs of today’s businesses. This homegrown talent, combined with quick and easy access to the labor force of surrounding counties, makes Lake County an ideal location to start or grow a business.
Jobs in Lake County increased to 161,182 by February of 2020. As the COVID-19 Pandemic spread across the country and the world, Lake County experienced a reduction from that number to 149,985 by December 2020. From February 2015 to February 2020, jobs increased by 16.7% in Lake County from 138,099 to 161,182. (Numbers in the Labor Force Trends chart below reflect a 13.4% increase in jobs from 2010 to 2020 and reflect the December 2020 numbers as impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.)
The data provided below confirms that Lake County has a considerably varied workforce, employed in a wide range of occupation and industry types.
Labor Force Trends
| Labor Force Trends | 2010 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | |
| Population 16 years and older | 243,032 | 366,742 | ||
| Labor Force | 132,151 | 54.4% | 149,985 | 40.9% |
| Employed | 117,196 | 48.2% | 140,934 | 38.4% |
| Unemployed | 14,769 | 6.1% | 9,051 | 2.5% |
| Unemployment Rate | 11.2% | 6.0% | ||
Commute to Work
| Commute to Work | 2010 | 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | |
| Workers 16 years and over | 114,079 | 152,370 | ||
| Car, truck, or van -- drove alone | 96,541 | 84.6% | 120,131 | 78.8% |
| Car, truck, or van -- carpooled | 9,048 | 7.9% | 15,249 | 10.0% |
| Public transportation (excluding taxicab) | 533 | 0.5% | 508 | 0.3% |
| Walked | 1,122 | 1.0% | 1,985 | 1.3% |
| Other means | 1,955 | 1.7% | 4,575 | 3.0% |
| Worked at home | 4,880 | 4.3% | 9,910 | 6.5% |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes) | 27.1 | 30.0 | ||
Workforce Characteristics
| Occupation | 2013 Jobs | 2019 Jobs | Change in Jobs | % Change in Jobs | 2019 LQ* | 2019 Avg. Hourly Earnings* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support | 13,196 | 14,876 | 1,680 | +13% | 1.04 | $18.05 |
| Sales and Related | 12,358 | 16,078 | 3,720 | +30% | 1.17 | $18.48 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | 9,619 | 12,006 | 2,387 | +25% | 1.38 | $12.45 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | 6,659 | 10,178 | 3,519 | +53% | 0.83 | $35.51 |
| Construction and Extraction | 5,472 | 8,871 | 3,399 | +62% | 1.09 | $20.56 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | 5,549 | 11,633 | 6,084 | +110% | 0.93 | $16.99 |
| Education, Training and Library | 5,776 | 9,970 | 4,194 | +73% | 0.77 | $24.20 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | 5,599 | 6,719 | 1,120 | +20% | 1.53 | $12.75 |
| Management | 3,705 | 17,642 | 13,937 | +376% | 0.99 | $50.63 |
| Installation, Maintenance and Repair | 3,604 | 3,677 | 73 | +2% | 1.02 | $21.73 |
| Healthcare Support | 3,649 | 6,221 | 2,572 | +70% | 0.62 | $15.22 |
| Personal Care and Service | 3,170 | 5,816 | 2,646 | +83% | 1.46 | $13.77 |
| Business and Financial Operations | 3,090 | 6,404 | 3,314 | +107% | 1.03 | $33.06 |
| Production | 3,133 | 3,594 | 461 | +15% | 0.52 | $16.94 |
| Community and Social Service | 1,711 | 1,168 | -543 | -32% | 0.59 | $21.40 |
| Protective Service | 1,780 | 5,309 | 3,529 | +198% | 1.11 | $18.34 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | 1,456 | 5,084 | 3,628 | +249% | 1.14 | $25.80 |
| Farming, Fishing and Forestry | 1,535 | 2,002 | 467 | +30% | 0.27 | $12.51 |
| Computer and Mathematical | 1,071 | 3,802 | 2,731 | +255% | 0.93 | $40.42 |
| Architecture and Engineering | 623 | 979 | 356 | +57% | 0.80 | $38.38 |
| Legal | 584 | 1,053 | 469 | +80% | 1.10 | $40.06 |
| Life, Physical and Social Science | 292 | 1,045 | 753 | +258% | 0.50 | $32.57 |
