Educational Attainment and Castle Country

Scott Smith, Regional Economist

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a statistical survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as educational attainment, income and housing characteristics by age and sex. Sent to 3.54 million addresses annually, it is the largest survey (other than the decennial census) that the Census Bureau administers.

The ACS offers insights how the country’s workers of varying educational attainment are distributed and how they are compensated.

As a point of reference, on average, U.S. workers who possess less than a high school diploma earn $19,954. High school graduates earn $27,868. Workers who have earned an associate’s degree or attended college earn $33,988. College graduates earn $50,515. Recipients of graduate degrees earn $66,944.

Nationally, men make more than women. For example, women earn between 32 and 34 percent less than males with equivalent educational background. Some, but not all, of this difference can be explained by a significant proportion of women who choose part-time employment.

The ACS also maps the composition of the labor force by highest educational attainment. Nationally, roughly 12 percent of the 25-year-and-older population has not graduated from high school. Almost 27 percent of the population has a high school diploma while 31 percent has advanced to an associate’s degree or has attended university. A little more than 30 percent has a bachelor’s degree.

What follows is a comparison of the population of the counties in the Castle Country against the national statistics.

Carbon County

On average, Carbon County residents 25 years and older who possess less than a high school diploma earn $21,726. High school graduates earn $29,063. Workers who earned an associate’s degree or attended college earned $29,136. College graduates earn $37,986, while recipients of professional/graduate degrees make $54,704.

Carbon County workers earn 85 percent of the U.S. median. Sorting by gender yields the statistic that Carbon County women earn 43 percent of men’s wages, while the analogous U.S. figure is 72 percent. Women with less educational attainment influence this figure. Women with no high school degree earn 22 percent, 42 percent for high school graduates and 37 percent for associate’s degrees.

High school graduates in Carbon County earn 104 percent of the U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 124 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn only 78 percent of their respective median. Carbon County residents who hold an associate’s degree or have attended college make 86 percent of the U.S. median. Men earn 122 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn 65 percent of the U.S. median for women. College graduates in Carbon County make 75 percent of the U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 89 percent, while women earn 80 percent. Recipients of graduate degrees earn 82 percent of the U.S. median. Men make 87 percent of the median for men, while women make 91 percent their respective median.

Carbon County residents differ from the national profile by educational attainment. Almost 48 percent of the population hold an associate’s degree or have attended college. In contrast, only 31 percent of the U.S. population has the same level of attainment. Conversely, only 13 percent of the county labor force holds at least a bachelor’s degree. The analogous figure for the U.S. is 31 percent.

Emery County

Emery County residents who possess less than a high school diploma earn on average $18,068. High school graduates earn $31,123. Workers who earned an associate’s degree or attended college earn $32,891. College graduates earn $45,625, while recipients of professional/graduate degrees make $45,682.

In total, women earn 35 percent of men’s wages, while the analogous U.S. figure is 72 percent. Only women with graduate degrees approach the national median. Emery County women with no high school diploma earn 34 percent, 41 percent for high school graduates and 28 percent for women with associate’s degrees. Women with bachelor’s degrees earn 49 percent of the male counterparts’ income.

The effects of mining employment are apparent in the income by gender statistics. Emery County workers make 94 percent of the U.S. aggregate median. Workers with less than a high school education earn 91 percent of the aggregate median. Men earn a 123 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn 62 percent of the U.S. median for women. Emery County high school graduates earn 112 percent of the U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 127 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn only 78 percent of their respective median. Emery County residents who hold an associate’s degree or have attended college make 97 percent of the U.S. median. Men earn 125 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn 50 percent of the U.S. median for women. College graduates in Emery County make 90 percent of the U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 92 percent, while women earn 65 percent. Recipients of graduate degrees earn 68 percent of the U.S. median. Men make 73 percent of the median for men while women make 72 percent their respective median.

Emery County residents differ from the national profile by educational attainment. Almost 48 percent of the population hold an associate’s degree or have attended college. In contrast, only 31 percent of the U.S. population has the same level of attainment. Conversely, only 11 percent of the county labor force holds at least a bachelor’s degree. The analogous figure for the U.S. is 31 percent.

Reviewing the 2012 Agricultural Census for Castle Country

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Scott Smith, Regional Economist

The 2012 Census of Agriculture is just that — a census. It is an attempt to count an entire population and generally does not use sampling or statistical techniques to make conclusions. It is conducted every five years and includes all farm operators regardless of whether farming is their primary or secondary occupation. Operators and hired laborers are combined for a total count. There can be a maximum of three operators per farm, but labor hired on a contract basis is not covered.

Castle Country agriculture is focused on the production of livestock and associated feedstock. Almost 90 percent of Carbon County agricultural land is classified as pasture and rangeland. Emery County is a bit different. It is just over 50 percent pasture and rangeland, and 26 percent cropland. The remainder is woodland and other. 2012 net cash income per farm for the two counties was $1.4 million and $140,000 respectively. The bulk of the region’s farms have total annual sales of less than $250,000.

Castle Country farm employment in the 2012 census was 1,944. As noted above, the census counts workers whose primary and secondary source of income is agriculture. Additional data sources reveal that the vast majority of the Castle Country farm workforce has primary jobs outside of agriculture. The size and composition of the agricultural workforce has changed markedly over time. In 2002, the total labor force was 1,732 of which 37 percent was hired labor. The total agricultural workforce increased by 11 percent by 2007 to 1,914, but the number of hired laborers actually declined to 29 percent. The analogous figures for 2012 are 2 percent and 24 percent.

There is an obvious trend away from hired employment. The reason for this can be gleaned from expense data. In 2002, the labor cost per worker (as defined by dividing annual labor expense by the hired workforce) was $2,690. In 2007, the cost had risen 27 percent to $3,320. In 2012, this number had increased by 21 percent to $4,140. In contrast, inflation increased by 15 percent and 9 percent respectively, as of the 2007 and 2012 censuses. Faced with higher real (inflation adjusted) labor costs, operators appear to have substituted to their own labor or made investments in capital goods.

The number and character of Castle Country operators has displayed an interesting combination of volatility and adherence to the trend. There were 724 principal operators in the Castle Country in 2002 (the statistics refer to “principal” operator and therefore will not agree with other totals). The number of operators increased by 23 percent to 887 operators in 2007, and then remained essentially unchanged as of the 2012 count. Similarly, in 2007, the proportion of operators who rely on other sources of income shot up to 68 percent from 55 percent in 2002. The share returned to 55 percent in the 2012 census.

Analysts speculate that the changes are in response to fluctuations in farm income. In 2002, net cash income per operator was $2,887. Operators suffered a loss of $484 in 2007, and generated a gain of only $345 in 2012. Farming takes some capital investment, and the proprietorship of an ongoing enterprise is somewhat “sticky” — operators are loath to walk away from their investments. Presumably, the large gains generated in 2002 attracted market participants who stayed around to experience a loss in 2007. That loss and the rather meager gain generated in 2012 were insufficient to attract any more participants into the industry. Similarly, the losses generated in 2007 made it necessary for some operators to seek other sources of income. The small gain of 2012 was sufficient to reduce the share of “full time” operators back to its historic norm.