Pottawattamie County vs. Iowa
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Average Earnings Per Job Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Pottawattamie County vs. Iowa
Pottawattamie County:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $55,063
2022 Percent of State = 86.10%
Iowa:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $63,956
The United States economy has generated an impressive number of jobs since the 1970s. The contrast between the nation's vigorous employment growth and the modest performance of other major industrial countries is striking. Despite this rosy track record, the real (inflation adjusted) wages and salaries of many workers have stagnated or slipped in recent years. This development has provoked concerns about the quality of new jobs. Structural shifts in the composition of employment--from high-wage goods-producing to low-wage services-related sectors--is the culprit most often cited for the deteriorating quality of jobs.
Regions vary greatly in the make-up of their labor force, in their industry composition of employment, and their economic experience. Reviewing and examining recent developments in average earnings per job in Pottawattamie County with comparisons to Iowa and the nation is an important first step in understanding the economic forces at play in Pottawattamie County.
Discussion: Average Annual Earnings Per Job are computed by dividing BEA total industry earnings estimates by the BEA total full- and part-time jobs estimates. No convenient or adequate means exist at the county or regional level for converting the job estimates to a full-time equivalent measure. So, interpret the average earnings per job estimates with caution in consideration of the following issues:
Average earnings per job within industries involving more part-time work is lower than industries involving more full-time work, although there could be little difference in the underlying wage of full-time workers. Such differences could also prevail between counties and regions. An increase in the proportion of part-time jobs over time may erode average earnings per job estimates, although full-time earnings per worker may have remained unchanged.
As with per capita income, average earnings per job may be subject to extreme short-run variation, especially in smaller counties. Major construction projects relating to building dams, nuclear power plants, and private plant construction projects have caused extreme fluctuations in many smaller counties. Such changes typify both small and large agriculture-dependent counties owing to the extreme annual variations in farm incomes. Also, Since average earnings per job are just a simple average, it does not account for variations in the distribution of earnings among high- vs. low-wage jobs.
Pottawattamie County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Pottawattamie County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Figure 1.
Figure 1 depicts Pottawattamie County's annual average earnings per job over 1970-2022 in current and constant (2017) dollars. Constant dollar measurements remove the effects of inflation. They allow for comparison of changes in the real purchasing power of Pottawattamie County over time.
When measured in current dollars, Pottawattamie County's average earnings per job increased 752.40%, from $6,460 in 1970 to $55,063 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 45.19%, from $32,681 in 1970 to $47,451 in 2022.
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 tracks Pottawattamie County's and Iowa's annual real average earnings per job for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate real average earnings per job patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Pottawattamie County's real average earnings per job rose from $33,073 in 1969 to $47,451 in 2022, for a net gain of $14,378, or 43.47%. In comparison, Iowa's real average earnings per job advanced from $34,313 in 1969 to $55,114 in 2022, for a net gain of $20,801, or 60.62%.
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 displays the trends for average earnings per job relative to the national average by tracing Pottawattamie County and Iowa average earnings per job as a percent of the national average over 1969-2022.
In 1969, Pottawattamie County's average earnings per job amounted to 86.99% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 76.92%. Similarly, in 1969, Iowa's average earnings per job totaled 90.25% of the national average; in 2022, it consisted of 89.34%.
Pottawattamie County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Pottawattamie County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 4.
Figure 4 displays the short-run pattern of Pottawattamie County's real average earnings per job 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 traced 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, Pottawattamie County's real average earnings per job grew at an annual rate of 0.77% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1973 (9.17%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1979 (-10.47%). In 2022, Pottawattamie County's real average earnings per job declined by -1.93%
Pottawattamie County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Pottawattamie County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 5.
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 5 again illustrates the annual percent change in Pottawattamie County's real average earnings per job 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, Pottawattamie County's annual real average earnings per job growth rate averaged 0.61%. It averaged -0.57% throughout the 1980s, 1.47% throughout the 1990s, 1.77% during the 2000s, 0.79% throughout the 2010s, -0.06% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 6.
Figure 6 compares the decade average growth rates for Pottawattamie County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Iowa and the nation. As the chart reveals, Pottawattamie County's average annual real average earnings per job growth fell below Iowa's average throughout the 1970s (0.61% vs. 0.98%), amounted to less than Iowa's average throughout the 1980s (-0.57% vs. -0.10%), outperformed Iowa's average throughout the 1990s (1.47% vs. 1.22%), registered above Iowa's average throughout the 2000s (1.77% vs. 1.36%), trailed Iowa's average throughout the 2010s (0.79% vs. 1.05%), and fell below Iowa's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.06% vs. 2.23%).
Finally, relative to nationwide real average earnings per job growth trends, Pottawattamie County lagged the nation in the 1970s (0.61% vs. 0.89%), fell under the nation over the 1980s (-0.57% vs. 0.71%), posted below the nation during the 1990s (1.47% vs. 1.68%), exceeded the nation over the 2000s (1.77% vs. 0.72%), fell under the nation in the 2010s (0.79% vs. 1.01%), and outgained the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.06% vs. -0.24%).
   
 
Real* Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
0.77
0.61
-0.57
1.47
1.77
0.79
-0.06
-1.93
 
0.98
0.98
-0.10
1.22
1.36
1.05
2.23
-0.69
 
0.93
0.89
0.71
1.68
0.72
1.01
-0.24
-4.51
 
   

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

   
 
Pottawattamie County:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
6,245
0.189
33,073
100.0
N
96.39
86.99
1970
 
6,460
0.198
32,681
98.8
-1.18
95.51
85.04
1971
 
6,700
0.206
32,517
98.3
-0.50
95.94
82.69
1972
 
7,379
0.213
34,630
104.7
6.50
94.71
84.91
1973
 
8,489
0.225
37,805
114.3
9.17
92.92
90.92
1974
 
8,522
0.248
34,373
103.9
-9.08
94.24
85.84
1975
 
9,017
0.269
33,570
101.5
-2.34
90.93
84.17
1976
 
10,004
0.283
35,308
106.8
5.18
98.48
86.62
1977
 
10,700
0.302
35,457
107.2
0.42
97.46
86.20
1978
 
12,411
0.323
38,452
116.3
8.45
98.19
92.22
1979
 
12,099
0.351
34,427
104.1
-10.47
92.79
83.05
1980
 
12,851
0.389
33,012
99.8
-4.11
96.47
82.08
1981
 
14,640
0.424
34,516
104.4
4.56
97.79
85.78
1982
 
14,624
0.448
32,664
98.8
-5.37
98.82
81.29
1983
 
15,052
0.467
32,249
97.5
-1.27
101.57
79.56
1984
 
16,449
0.484
33,957
102.7
5.30
98.67
81.50
1985
 
17,025
0.501
33,962
102.7
0.02
98.09
80.57
1986
 
17,205
0.512
33,591
101.6
-1.09
94.78
77.93
1987
 
17,912
0.528
33,923
102.6
0.99
92.65
77.45
1988
 
18,054
0.549
32,906
99.5
-3.00
92.19
73.97
1989
 
18,525
0.573
32,352
97.8
-1.68
89.11
72.76
1990
 
19,459
0.598
32,553
98.4
0.62
90.46
73.16
1991
 
19,939
0.618
32,278
97.6
-0.84
91.82
72.41
1992
 
21,229
0.634
33,473
101.2
3.70
90.53
72.26
1993
 
21,008
0.650
32,320
97.7
-3.44
90.83
69.79
1994
 
22,938
0.664
34,567
104.5
6.95
90.72
74.21
1995
 
22,466
0.678
33,159
100.3
-4.08
89.93
71.09
1996
 
23,885
0.692
34,514
104.4
4.09
89.13
72.80
1997
 
24,661
0.704
35,027
105.9
1.49
89.09
72.07
1998
 
25,952
0.710
36,569
110.6
4.40
91.18
72.07
1999
 
26,806
0.720
37,231
112.6
1.81
91.38
71.01
2000
 
28,356
0.738
38,411
116.1
3.17
91.71
71.06
2001
 
29,383
0.753
39,021
118.0
1.59
92.27
70.84
2002
 
30,356
0.763
39,790
120.3
1.97
92.17
71.58
2003
 
31,224
0.779
40,086
121.2
0.74
91.15
71.52
2004
 
33,688
0.798
42,202
127.6
5.28
90.66
74.11
2005
 
35,008
0.821
42,626
128.9
1.01
92.74
75.05
2006
 
38,279
0.844
45,333
137.1
6.35
98.35
79.02
2007
 
37,328
0.866
43,100
130.3
-4.93
92.02
75.59
2008
 
39,016
0.892
43,754
132.3
1.52
92.26
77.57
2009
 
39,290
0.889
44,185
133.6
0.99
94.94
78.52
2010
 
39,173
0.905
43,278
130.9
-2.05
91.20
75.06
2011
 
40,396
0.928
43,528
131.6
0.58
89.32
75.32
2012
 
43,827
0.945
46,361
140.2
6.51
93.61
79.60
2013
 
44,747
0.958
46,718
141.3
0.77
92.68
80.14
2014
 
44,576
0.971
45,897
138.8
-1.76
91.13
78.22
2015
 
46,690
0.973
47,986
145.1
4.55
94.03
80.49
2016
 
45,232
0.983
46,022
139.2
-4.09
91.47
77.35
2017
 
46,196
1.000
46,196
139.7
0.38
90.78
76.57
2018
 
47,702
1.020
46,745
141.3
1.19
90.62
76.81
2019
 
49,262
1.035
47,591
143.9
1.81
92.19
76.47
2020
 
51,836
1.046
49,540
149.8
4.10
93.00
76.93
2021
 
52,739
1.090
48,384
146.3
-2.33
87.18
74.89
2022
 
55,063
1.160
47,451
143.5
-1.93
86.10
76.92
Source: Calculations by the Iowa Regional Economic Analysis Project (IA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PSN
 
   

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

   
 
Iowa:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
6,479
0.189
34,313
100.0
N
90.25
1970
 
6,763
0.198
34,216
99.7
-0.28
89.03
1971
 
6,983
0.206
33,891
98.8
-0.95
86.18
1972
 
7,791
0.213
36,565
106.6
7.89
89.65
1973
 
9,136
0.225
40,686
118.6
11.27
97.85
1974
 
9,043
0.248
36,475
106.3
-10.35
91.09
1975
 
9,916
0.269
36,918
107.6
1.21
92.56
1976
 
10,158
0.283
35,853
104.5
-2.88
87.96
1977
 
10,978
0.302
36,381
106.0
1.47
88.45
1978
 
12,640
0.323
39,162
114.1
7.64
93.93
1979
 
13,038
0.351
37,101
108.1
-5.26
89.50
1980
 
13,321
0.389
34,221
99.7
-7.76
85.08
1981
 
14,971
0.424
35,296
102.9
3.14
87.72
1982
 
14,798
0.448
33,053
96.3
-6.36
82.26
1983
 
14,820
0.467
31,750
92.5
-3.94
78.33
1984
 
16,670
0.484
34,415
100.3
8.39
82.60
1985
 
17,357
0.501
34,625
100.9
0.61
82.14
1986
 
18,152
0.512
35,440
103.3
2.35
82.22
1987
 
19,333
0.528
36,615
106.7
3.32
83.60
1988
 
19,584
0.549
35,694
104.0
-2.51
80.24
1989
 
20,789
0.573
36,305
105.8
1.71
81.65
1990
 
21,510
0.598
35,986
104.9
-0.88
80.87
1991
 
21,716
0.618
35,155
102.5
-2.31
78.86
1992
 
23,449
0.634
36,975
107.8
5.18
79.82
1993
 
23,129
0.650
35,582
103.7
-3.77
76.84
1994
 
25,283
0.664
38,102
111.0
7.08
81.80
1995
 
24,981
0.678
36,870
107.5
-3.23
79.04
1996
 
26,798
0.692
38,724
112.9
5.03
81.68
1997
 
27,682
0.704
39,318
114.6
1.53
80.90
1998
 
28,463
0.710
40,107
116.9
2.01
79.04
1999
 
29,334
0.720
40,741
118.7
1.58
77.70
2000
 
30,920
0.738
41,884
122.1
2.81
77.49
2001
 
31,846
0.753
42,292
123.3
0.97
76.78
2002
 
32,933
0.763
43,168
125.8
2.07
77.66
2003
 
34,256
0.779
43,978
128.2
1.88
78.47
2004
 
37,159
0.798
46,550
135.7
5.85
81.75
2005
 
37,747
0.821
45,962
133.9
-1.26
80.92
2006
 
38,922
0.844
46,094
134.3
0.29
80.35
2007
 
40,565
0.866
46,838
136.5
1.61
82.14
2008
 
42,289
0.892
47,425
138.2
1.26
84.08
2009
 
41,383
0.889
46,540
135.6
-1.87
82.70
2010
 
42,954
0.905
47,456
138.3
1.97
82.30
2011
 
45,227
0.928
48,733
142.0
2.69
84.33
2012
 
46,820
0.945
49,527
144.3
1.63
85.03
2013
 
48,281
0.958
50,408
146.9
1.78
86.47
2014
 
48,912
0.971
50,362
146.8
-0.09
85.83
2015
 
49,655
0.973
51,033
148.7
1.33
85.60
2016
 
49,449
0.983
50,312
146.6
-1.41
84.56
2017
 
50,887
1.000
50,887
148.3
1.14
84.35
2018
 
52,642
1.020
51,586
150.3
1.37
84.77
2019
 
53,437
1.035
51,624
150.4
0.07
82.95
2020
 
55,738
1.046
53,269
155.2
3.19
82.72
2021
 
60,494
1.090
55,499
161.7
4.19
85.90
2022
 
63,956
1.160
55,114
160.6
-0.69
89.34
Source: Calculations by the Iowa Regional Economic Analysis Project (IA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_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:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
7,179
0.189
38,018
100.0
N
1970
 
7,596
0.198
38,430
101.1
1.08
1971
 
8,103
0.206
39,326
103.4
2.33
1972
 
8,691
0.213
40,786
107.3
3.71
1973
 
9,336
0.225
41,579
109.4
1.94
1974
 
9,928
0.248
40,044
105.3
-3.69
1975
 
10,713
0.269
39,883
104.9
-0.40
1976
 
11,549
0.283
40,761
107.2
2.20
1977
 
12,412
0.302
41,131
108.2
0.91
1978
 
13,457
0.323
41,694
109.7
1.37
1979
 
14,568
0.351
41,454
109.0
-0.58
1980
 
15,657
0.389
40,220
105.8
-2.98
1981
 
17,066
0.424
40,237
105.8
0.04
1982
 
17,989
0.448
40,181
105.7
-0.14
1983
 
18,920
0.467
40,535
106.6
0.88
1984
 
20,181
0.484
41,663
109.6
2.78
1985
 
21,130
0.501
42,152
110.9
1.17
1986
 
22,078
0.512
43,104
113.4
2.26
1987
 
23,126
0.528
43,799
115.2
1.61
1988
 
24,408
0.549
44,487
117.0
1.57
1989
 
25,460
0.573
44,462
117.0
-0.05
1990
 
26,599
0.598
44,498
117.0
0.08
1991
 
27,537
0.618
44,577
117.3
0.18
1992
 
29,378
0.634
46,323
121.8
3.92
1993
 
30,101
0.650
46,309
121.8
-0.03
1994
 
30,909
0.664
46,580
122.5
0.59
1995
 
31,605
0.678
46,646
122.7
0.14
1996
 
32,810
0.692
47,411
124.7
1.64
1997
 
34,218
0.704
48,600
127.8
2.51
1998
 
36,011
0.710
50,743
133.5
4.41
1999
 
37,751
0.720
52,432
137.9
3.33
2000
 
39,903
0.738
54,053
142.2
3.09
2001
 
41,477
0.753
55,080
144.9
1.90
2002
 
42,406
0.763
55,584
146.2
0.92
2003
 
43,655
0.779
56,045
147.4
0.83
2004
 
45,456
0.798
56,943
149.8
1.60
2005
 
46,648
0.821
56,800
149.4
-0.25
2006
 
48,442
0.844
57,368
150.9
1.00
2007
 
49,382
0.866
57,019
150.0
-0.61
2008
 
50,298
0.892
56,407
148.4
-1.07
2009
 
50,041
0.889
56,276
148.0
-0.23
2010
 
52,191
0.905
57,661
151.7
2.46
2011
 
53,633
0.928
57,792
152.0
0.23
2012
 
55,061
0.945
58,245
153.2
0.78
2013
 
55,837
0.958
58,296
153.3
0.09
2014
 
56,990
0.971
58,680
154.3
0.66
2015
 
58,005
0.973
59,615
156.8
1.59
2016
 
58,480
0.983
59,501
156.5
-0.19
2017
 
60,329
1.000
60,329
158.7
1.39
2018
 
62,102
1.020
60,856
160.1
0.87
2019
 
64,419
1.035
62,233
163.7
2.26
2020
 
67,378
1.046
64,393
169.4
3.47
2021
 
70,421
1.090
64,606
169.9
0.33
2022
 
71,586
1.160
61,690
162.3
-4.51
Source: Calculations by the Iowa Regional Economic Analysis Project (IA-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

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