Armstrong County vs. Pennsylvania
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Total Employment Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Armstrong County vs. Pennsylvania
Armstrong County:
2022 Jobs = 24,380
2022 Percent of State = 0.31%
Pennsylvania:
2022 Jobs = 7,978,320
2022 Percent of U.S. = 3.76%
Employment numbers remain the most popular and frequently cited statistics used for tracking local area economic conditions and trends. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) employment estimates reported measure the number of full- and part-time wage and salary employees, plus the number of proprietors of unincorporated businesses. People holding more than one job are counted in the employment estimates for each job they hold. This means BEA employment estimates represent a job count, not a people count. Also, BEA employment is by place-of-work, rather than by place-of-residence. Jobs held by neighboring county residents who commute to Armstrong County to work are included in the employment count for Armstrong County.
Data Definition:
The BEA employment series for states and local areas comprises estimates of the number of jobs, full-time plus part-time, by place of work. Full-time and part-time jobs are counted at equal weight. Employees, sole proprietors, and active partners are included, but unpaid family workers and volunteers are not included. Proprietors employment consists of the number of sole proprietorships and the number of partners in partnerships. The description "by place of work" applies to the wage and salary portion of the series and, with relatively little error, to the entire series. The proprietors employment portion of the series, however, is more nearly by place of residence because, for nonfarm sole proprietorships, the estimates are based on IRS tax data that reflect the address from which the proprietor's individual tax return is filed, which is usually the proprietor's residence. The nonfarm partnership portion of the proprietors employment series reflects the tax-filing address of the partnership, which may be either the residence of one of the partners or the business address of the partnership. The employment estimates are designed to be consistent with the estimates of wages and salaries and proprietors' income that are part of the personal income series. The employment estimates are based on the same sets of source data as the corresponding earnings estimates and are prepared with parallel methodologies. Two forms of proprietors' income-the income of limited partnerships and the income of tax-exempt cooperatives-have no corresponding employment estimates.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 1.
Figure 1 traces Armstrong County's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Armstrong County's total employment rose from 23,358 in 1969 to 24,380 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,022, or 4.38%.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 traces Pennsylvania's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Pennsylvania's total employment rose from 5,249,940 in 1969 to 7,978,320 in 2022, for a net gain of 2,728,380, or 51.97%.
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 portrays Armstrong County's total employment growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Pennsylvania, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's total employment in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the total employments in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in total employment growth between regions that may differ vastly in size.
Armstrong County's overall total employment growth was 4.38% over 1969-2022 trailed Pennsylvania's increase of 51.97%, and fell below the United States' increase of 133.32%.
Total Employment as a Percent of the Pennsylvania Total: 1969-2022
Total Employment as a Percent of the Pennsylvania Total: 1969-2022
Figure 4.
Another interesting and insightful way of contrasting the total employment growth of Armstrong County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Pennsylvania's statewide total employment over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's total employment grew faster, or declined less, than Pennsylvania's total employment, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly.
In 1969, Armstrong County's total employment totaled 0.44% of Pennsylvania's total employment, while in 2022 it equated to 0.31% thereby yielding a -0.14% share-shift.
   
 
Total Employment Share-Shift
2022 vs. 1969
 
Share-
Shift*
 
2022
vs.
1969
-0.14%
=
0.31%
-
0.44%
 
   
Armstrong County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Armstrong County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 5.
Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Armstrong County's total employment growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also illustrated on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average.
On average, Armstrong County's total employment grew at an annual rate of 0.13% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1998 (8.78%) and posted its lowest growth in 2001 (-13.61%). In 2022, Armstrong County's total employment grew by 1.94%
Armstrong County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Armstrong County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 6.
Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again depicts the annual percent change in Armstrong County's total employment since 1970, but this time they are displayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1970s, Armstrong County's annual total employment growth rate averaged 0.77%. It averaged 0.25% during the 1980s, 1.67% during the 1990s, -1.88% in the 2000s, -0.31% in the 2010s, 0.56% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 7.
Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Armstrong County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Pennsylvania and the nation. As the chart reveals, Armstrong County's average annual total employment growth recorded under Pennsylvania's average throughout the 1970s (0.77% vs. 0.77%), amounted to less than Pennsylvania's average throughout the 1980s (0.25% vs. 0.95%), outpaced Pennsylvania's average in the 1990s (1.67% vs. 0.85%), fell below Pennsylvania's average throughout the 2000s (-1.88% vs. 0.50%), recorded under Pennsylvania's average in the 2010s (-0.31% vs. 0.91%), and recorded under Pennsylvania's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.56% vs. 0.95%).
Finally, relative to nationwide total employment growth trends, Armstrong County fell under the nation in the 1970s (0.77% vs. 2.21%), posted below the nation throughout the 1980s (0.25% vs. 1.88%), lagged the nation over the 1990s (1.67% vs. 1.73%), lagged the nation throughout the 2000s (-1.88% vs. 0.74%), recorded underneath the nation over the 2010s (-0.31% vs. 1.51%), and fell below the nation over 2020-2022 (0.56% vs. 1.82%).
   
 
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
0.13
0.77
0.25
1.67
-1.88
-0.31
0.56
1.94
 
0.80
0.77
0.95
0.85
0.50
0.91
0.95
4.29
 
1.62
2.21
1.88
1.73
0.74
1.51
1.82
4.78
 
   
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Figure 8.
The job ratios shown in Figure 8 for Armstrong County, Pennsylvania and the nation not only portray a number of important trends, they also serves as a thumbnail guide to evaluating an economy's capacity to generate enough jobs fast enough to absorb the increasing number of workers attendant to a growing population. The job ratio is the number of full-time and part-time jobs by place of work, divided by population.
Nationally, the job ratio rose from 0.45 to 0.64 between 1969 and 2022. Armstrong County's job ratio registered 0.31 in 1969, and 0.38 in 2022. Underlying the rising job ratio over the past several decades have been the increases in the labor force participation rates, with the number and proportion of women in the labor market playing a leading role.
An assortment of other factors can contribute to regional differences in the job ratio. They include differences in the proportion of elderly and retirees who no longer work and participate in the labor force, differences in the number and proportion of part-time vs. full-time workers, differences in industry composition, and differences in age and sex distribution and degree of urbanization. Also, a disproportionate number of workers commuting to work outside a county tends to lower its local county job ratio, while a net inflow of workers commuting to work inside the county tends to augment its local county job ratio.
Avoid interpreting the job ratio as the fraction (or percent) of the local population employed. This interpretation should only apply to the "employment-population ratio" statistic compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Figure 9.
To highlight trends in a local job ratio relative to nationwide trends, Figure 9 tracks Armstrong County's, Pennsylvania's job ratio as a percent of the national job ratio over 1969-2022.

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Armstrong County:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
23,358
100.0
N
0.44
0.31
68.02
1970
 
22,517
96.4
-3.60
0.43
0.30
66.38
1971
 
22,094
94.6
-1.88
0.43
0.29
65.03
1972
 
22,672
97.1
2.62
0.43
0.29
65.44
1973
 
23,936
102.5
5.58
0.44
0.31
66.92
1974
 
24,585
105.3
2.71
0.45
0.32
68.09
1975
 
24,493
104.9
-0.37
0.46
0.32
68.79
1976
 
25,151
107.7
2.69
0.47
0.32
69.26
1977
 
25,219
108.0
0.27
0.46
0.33
68.08
1978
 
24,566
105.2
-2.59
0.44
0.31
63.56
1979
 
25,121
107.5
2.26
0.44
0.32
63.87
1980
 
24,968
106.9
-0.61
0.44
0.32
64.05
1981
 
23,914
102.4
-4.22
0.43
0.31
61.73
1982
 
23,745
101.7
-0.71
0.43
0.31
62.34
1983
 
23,459
100.4
-1.20
0.43
0.30
61.34
1984
 
23,792
101.9
1.42
0.43
0.31
60.30
1985
 
23,921
102.4
0.54
0.42
0.31
60.09
1986
 
24,306
104.1
1.61
0.42
0.32
60.58
1987
 
24,926
106.7
2.55
0.42
0.33
61.89
1988
 
25,079
107.4
0.61
0.41
0.34
61.72
1989
 
25,697
110.0
2.46
0.41
0.35
63.20
1990
 
25,905
110.9
0.81
0.41
0.35
63.59
1991
 
25,598
109.6
-1.19
0.41
0.35
63.68
1992
 
26,209
112.2
2.39
0.42
0.35
65.89
1993
 
26,132
111.9
-0.29
0.42
0.35
64.89
1994
 
26,586
113.8
1.74
0.42
0.36
65.35
1995
 
26,581
113.8
-0.02
0.41
0.36
64.68
1996
 
26,658
114.1
0.29
0.41
0.36
64.64
1997
 
27,122
116.1
1.74
0.41
0.37
65.44
1998
 
29,502
126.3
8.78
0.44
0.40
70.31
1999
 
30,242
129.5
2.51
0.45
0.42
71.99
2000
 
30,611
131.1
1.22
0.44
0.42
72.27
2001
 
26,445
113.2
-13.61
0.38
0.37
63.27
2002
 
26,281
112.5
-0.62
0.38
0.37
63.82
2003
 
26,204
112.2
-0.29
0.38
0.37
63.95
2004
 
25,333
108.5
-3.32
0.36
0.35
61.53
2005
 
25,178
107.8
-0.61
0.36
0.36
61.15
2006
 
25,143
107.6
-0.14
0.35
0.36
60.91
2007
 
25,499
109.2
1.42
0.35
0.37
61.25
2008
 
25,425
108.8
-0.29
0.35
0.37
61.98
2009
 
24,772
106.1
-2.57
0.35
0.36
63.32
2010
 
25,168
107.7
1.60
0.35
0.36
65.21
2011
 
25,177
107.8
0.04
0.35
0.37
64.78
2012
 
25,562
109.4
1.53
0.35
0.37
65.51
2013
 
25,386
108.7
-0.69
0.35
0.37
64.42
2014
 
25,340
108.5
-0.18
0.34
0.37
63.69
2015
 
24,883
106.5
-1.80
0.33
0.37
62.23
2016
 
25,107
107.5
0.90
0.33
0.37
62.57
2017
 
24,818
106.3
-1.15
0.32
0.37
61.60
2018
 
24,793
106.1
-0.10
0.32
0.37
61.16
2019
 
24,000
102.7
-3.20
0.31
0.36
59.65
2020
 
23,290
99.7
-2.96
0.31
0.36
60.40
2021
 
23,916
102.4
2.69
0.31
0.37
60.13
2022
 
24,380
104.4
1.94
0.31
0.38
59.07
Source: Calculations by the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Analysis Project (PA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Pennsylvania:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
5,249,940
100.0
N
5.77
0.45
98.85
1970
 
5,226,036
99.5
-0.46
5.73
0.44
98.79
1971
 
5,159,316
98.3
-1.28
5.63
0.43
98.04
1972
 
5,246,647
99.9
1.69
5.56
0.44
97.80
1973
 
5,401,982
102.9
2.96
5.49
0.45
97.60
1974
 
5,419,058
103.2
0.32
5.41
0.46
97.34
1975
 
5,302,386
101.0
-2.15
5.36
0.45
97.09
1976
 
5,353,339
102.0
0.96
5.27
0.45
96.44
1977
 
5,429,193
103.4
1.42
5.17
0.46
95.60
1978
 
5,561,889
105.9
2.44
5.07
0.47
94.92
1979
 
5,663,533
107.9
1.83
5.01
0.48
94.67
1980
 
5,624,462
107.1
-0.69
4.93
0.47
94.47
1981
 
5,583,974
106.4
-0.72
4.86
0.47
94.03
1982
 
5,473,792
104.3
-1.97
4.79
0.46
93.77
1983
 
5,432,690
103.5
-0.75
4.70
0.46
92.78
1984
 
5,577,004
106.2
2.66
4.63
0.47
92.36
1985
 
5,679,261
108.2
1.83
4.59
0.48
92.73
1986
 
5,772,102
109.9
1.63
4.57
0.49
93.19
1987
 
5,956,959
113.5
3.20
4.60
0.50
94.33
1988
 
6,119,812
116.6
2.73
4.58
0.52
94.57
1989
 
6,216,055
118.4
1.57
4.56
0.52
94.95
1990
 
6,292,542
119.9
1.23
4.55
0.53
95.39
1991
 
6,211,669
118.3
-1.29
4.51
0.52
95.30
1992
 
6,216,278
118.4
0.07
4.50
0.52
95.78
1993
 
6,256,367
119.2
0.64
4.44
0.52
95.31
1994
 
6,323,071
120.4
1.07
4.39
0.52
94.84
1995
 
6,422,943
122.3
1.58
4.34
0.53
94.79
1996
 
6,477,294
123.4
0.85
4.29
0.53
94.53
1997
 
6,584,830
125.4
1.66
4.26
0.54
95.01
1998
 
6,657,699
126.8
1.11
4.20
0.54
94.63
1999
 
6,764,360
128.8
1.60
4.19
0.55
95.28
2000
 
6,905,286
131.5
2.08
4.18
0.56
95.91
2001
 
6,915,464
131.7
0.15
4.18
0.56
96.80
2002
 
6,887,062
131.2
-0.41
4.17
0.56
97.30
2003
 
6,875,775
131.0
-0.16
4.14
0.56
97.15
2004
 
6,951,757
132.4
1.11
4.12
0.56
97.14
2005
 
7,053,584
134.4
1.46
4.09
0.57
97.15
2006
 
7,152,610
136.2
1.40
4.07
0.57
97.00
2007
 
7,265,012
138.4
1.57
4.05
0.58
97.02
2008
 
7,278,574
138.6
0.19
4.06
0.58
97.92
2009
 
7,101,513
135.3
-2.43
4.09
0.56
99.05
2010
 
7,119,718
135.6
0.26
4.12
0.56
100.18
2011
 
7,217,043
137.5
1.37
4.10
0.57
100.06
2012
 
7,284,595
138.8
0.94
4.07
0.57
99.83
2013
 
7,350,212
140.0
0.90
4.03
0.57
99.39
2014
 
7,434,632
141.6
1.15
3.99
0.58
98.95
2015
 
7,510,339
143.1
1.02
3.95
0.58
98.46
2016
 
7,593,722
144.6
1.11
3.93
0.59
98.58
2017
 
7,662,469
146.0
0.91
3.90
0.59
98.44
2018
 
7,763,488
147.9
1.32
3.88
0.60
98.10
2019
 
7,772,526
148.0
0.12
3.85
0.60
97.98
2020
 
7,412,855
141.2
-4.63
3.80
0.57
96.84
2021
 
7,650,343
145.7
3.20
3.77
0.59
96.28
2022
 
7,978,320
152.0
4.29
3.76
0.62
96.49
Source: Calculations by the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Analysis Project (PA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
91,053,200
100.0
N
0.45
1970
 
91,277,600
100.2
0.25
0.45
1971
 
91,581,400
100.6
0.33
0.44
1972
 
94,312,200
103.6
2.98
0.45
1973
 
98,427,500
108.1
4.36
0.47
1974
 
100,111,800
109.9
1.71
0.47
1975
 
98,900,600
108.6
-1.21
0.46
1976
 
101,591,200
111.6
2.72
0.47
1977
 
105,042,200
115.4
3.40
0.48
1978
 
109,686,600
120.5
4.42
0.49
1979
 
113,147,100
124.3
3.15
0.50
1980
 
113,983,200
125.2
0.74
0.50
1981
 
114,914,000
126.2
0.82
0.50
1982
 
114,163,300
125.4
-0.65
0.49
1983
 
115,645,700
127.0
1.30
0.49
1984
 
120,528,100
132.4
4.22
0.51
1985
 
123,796,700
136.0
2.71
0.52
1986
 
126,232,300
138.6
1.97
0.53
1987
 
129,548,400
142.3
2.63
0.53
1988
 
133,563,900
146.7
3.10
0.55
1989
 
136,177,800
149.6
1.96
0.55
1990
 
138,330,900
151.9
1.58
0.55
1991
 
137,612,800
151.1
-0.52
0.54
1992
 
138,166,100
151.7
0.40
0.54
1993
 
140,774,400
154.6
1.89
0.54
1994
 
144,196,600
158.4
2.43
0.55
1995
 
147,915,800
162.4
2.58
0.56
1996
 
151,056,200
165.9
2.12
0.56
1997
 
154,541,200
169.7
2.31
0.57
1998
 
158,481,200
174.1
2.55
0.57
1999
 
161,531,300
177.4
1.92
0.58
2000
 
165,370,800
181.6
2.38
0.59
2001
 
165,522,200
181.8
0.09
0.58
2002
 
165,095,100
181.3
-0.26
0.57
2003
 
165,921,500
182.2
0.50
0.57
2004
 
168,839,700
185.4
1.76
0.58
2005
 
172,338,400
189.3
2.07
0.58
2006
 
175,868,600
193.1
2.05
0.59
2007
 
179,543,700
197.2
2.09
0.60
2008
 
179,213,900
196.8
-0.18
0.59
2009
 
173,636,700
190.7
-3.11
0.57
2010
 
172,901,700
189.9
-0.42
0.56
2011
 
176,091,700
193.4
1.84
0.56
2012
 
178,979,700
196.6
1.64
0.57
2013
 
182,328,100
200.2
1.87
0.58
2014
 
186,239,800
204.5
2.15
0.58
2015
 
190,325,800
209.0
2.19
0.59
2016
 
193,425,900
212.4
1.63
0.60
2017
 
196,394,100
215.7
1.53
0.60
2018
 
200,292,200
220.0
1.98
0.61
2019
 
201,635,200
221.4
0.67
0.61
2020
 
195,286,600
214.5
-3.15
0.59
2021
 
202,752,100
222.7
3.82
0.61
2022
 
212,442,000
233.3
4.78
0.64
Source: Calculations by the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Analysis Project (PA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

Please stay tuned...
while your request is processing:

Please wait while your request is being processed...
To offer the most comprehensive set of interactive options in support of your research, PA-REAP calculates and crunches most of the data and generates the narrative and graphic analysis on demand in response to your request.
Your request will soon be available.
Just a few more seconds....Your request has been generated and is now loading the results.