[Winona Online Democracy]
Kathy and WOD,I look at the numbers that Kathy Seifert shared and I see a different conclusion than her statement "Winona's unemployment rate has been less than or equal to the average for MN for the past 4 years."If I'm reading the table right it looks as though Winona's rate has been HIGHER than or equal to MN for the last four years, but always lower than the US average. Or put another way, Winona is slightly better off than the US as a whole but slightly worse off than MN as a whole. Perhaps Kathy meant to say Winona's rate has been "worse" rather than "less".Phil Carlson, Mpls-------------------------
Unemployment Comparative Rates Year Month Labor Force Employment Number Rate MN US
2003 AnnAvg 15,726 14,827 899 5.7% 5.0% 6.0%
2002 AnnAvg 15,384 14,701 683 4.4% 4.4% 5.8%
2001 AnnAvg 15,804 15,110 694 4.4% 3.7% 4.7%
2000 AnnAvg 15,597 4.0% From the looks of this data, it seems that Winona's unemployment rate has been less than or equal to the average for MN for the past 4 years. Our labor force took a dive in 2002 and the number of jobs also fell. As Eric reported, the number of jobs had risen again between 2002 and 2003, but the rate of growth of the labor force has exceeded the jobs growth resulting in a net unemployment increase. It looks like the figures for September of 2004 reflect a leveling out of this again and an unemplyment rate of 4.4% with a labor force of 15,343 and 14,661 jobs. It seems we still have not recovered all of the jobs lost since the recession. I don't point this out to assign blame, but only to provide facts.I think that it is positive that Winona is around the average for the state and above average for the nation in employment. It would be interesting to know what kind of jobs (i.e., manufacturing, professional, retail, etc.) there are and if and how these may have changed over time.So this is one way of evaluating Winona economically. We seem to be doing about average--I am satisfied with that, but is it possible for us to be better?. What other ways do folks know of to assess our community well-being? What do City or County officials think about this data? What data do you all use to evaluate our community's vitality and make decisions on our behalf?Kathy Seifert_______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
