2003 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

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1960 and 2000. After experiencing a reduction of 2.6% during 1969 to 1983, at which time the entire Midwest was at the depth of its economic restructuring and recess, the County's population increased 4.0% between 1983 and 1990 and another 7.5% between 1990 and 2000. The total labor force in December 2003 of 137,040 in St. Joseph County is typical of the Midwest: well trained with a strong work ethic. Approximately 82.4% of the area's adult population are high school graduates or higher (as compared to the national average of 75 %) with an estimated 23.6% with a Bachelor's Degree or higher. There are ten colleges, universities and technical schools within South Bend and the surrounding area including the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University of South Bend, Saint Mary's College, Bethel College and Ivy Tech State College. At the high school level, there are school -to -work transition programs that help prepare students for the world of work. St. Joseph County is currently experiencing an average unemployment rate of around 4.4% which compares favorably to the December 2003 national and State of Indiana rates of 5.9% and 5.1 %, respectively. The 2003 employment profile for St. Joseph County provides a good overview of the economic make -up of this community. Employment statistics for the County's major economic sectors are as follows: Economic Sector Construction Manufacturing Trade, Transportation & Public Utilities Finance, Insurance & Real Estate Services Public Administration Number Employed 6,564 18,663 26,656 6,748 59,109 4,723 % of Total 5.62% 16.74% 3.60% 4.96% 32.32% St. Joseph County presently has an estimated 98,500 households with per household income as follows: 12% with household incomes that exceed $75,000; 18% with incomes $50,000 to $75,000; 25 % with incomes $35,000 to $49,999; 18% with incomes $25,000 to $34,999; 15% with incomes $15,000 to $24,999; and the remaining 12% with household incomes under $15,000 per year. The median household effective buying income (disposable income after taxes) in the County in 2000 was $40,420, which equated to more than $4.36 billion in effective buying income for this area. Health and education lead the employment statistics for St. Joseph County. The largest employers in the County as of December 2003 were as follows: University of Notre Dame (4,900); South Bend Community School Corporation (3,500); Saint Joseph Regional Medical (3,391); Memorial Health Systems (3,300); Martin's Supermarkets (2,800); AM General (2,151); Meijer Inc. (1,665) City of South Bend (1,400); Indiana University of South Bend (1,400); St. Joseph County (1,350). The following provides a profile of the adult population residing in St. Joseph County . Gender: 48% o male; 52% female vii