Employment & Wages in Pierce County

The Economic Development Department works with key community partners to help grow jobs in Pierce County.  Our goal is for residents to have easy access to good paying jobs close to home and to reduce the daily out-flow of workers to jobs outside the County. These efforts include retaining local companies and helping them grow, and attracting new companies to locate here.

Pierce County is in the top 10% of all US counties in total job growth. In the past 5 years, the number of companies employing workers grew by more than 2,500.  That growth led to a 17% increase in total wages paid, or more than $640 million more per quarter going to workers in Pierce County.  

Many people work for themselves and are not "covered" by Unemployment Insurance, so they don't show-up in most employment data.  But they are vital to the economy because they represent the strength of a community's entrepreneurial spirit.  The number of companies with no covered employees is almost double the number of firms with employees, and combined they generate over $2 billion in receipts per year, averaging over $45,000 per establishment.