In September 2019, East Baton Rouge Parish employed 263,500 people, a 1.6% decline from the previous year, according to a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The drop in jobs brings the parish down to an eighth-worst, No. 348 rank among the 355 largest U.S. counties in terms of percentage change in year-over-year employment.
The parish also performed worse than the national average. Employment increased in 283 of the 355 largest U.S. counties from September 2018 to September 2019, with total U.S. employment rising 1.1% to 148.6 million.
Moreover, 350 of the counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. In the third quarter of 2019, average weekly wages across the U.S. increased to $1,093, a 3.6% uptick over the year.
While average weekly wages rose in East Baton Rouge in the third quarter, it was at a slower clip than the rest of the nation (2.6%), ultimately placing East Baton Rouge at No. 261. Average weekly wages across the parish ($1,010) also fell below the national average.
Statewide, Louisiana saw a 0.3% decline in employment in September 2019, with some 1.9 million people employed. Average weekly wages across Louisiana totaled $923, a 2.6% increase from the previous year. Check out the BLS report.
