The net growth or decline in jobs by sector, shown as a percentage gain or loss from 2001 to 2021.
Job growth by sector is a key indicator of economic vitality, and reveals how the structure of industry and the composition of employment in the region are changing.
Among large sectors, Essex County has seen the greatest growth in the Financial Activities (82%), Healthcare and Social Assistance (46%) and Professional and Business Services (20%) sectors. The biggest decline among large sectors was in Manufacturing, where jobs fell 33%. Some smaller sectors had large gains or declines: Educational Services, with 3% of total jobs, grew 69% since 2001, and Information, with 1.4% of all jobs, declined 35%. Trends in Essex County were similar to statewide and national trends.
The largest sectors in Essex County in 2021 were Trade, Transportation and Utilities and Health Care and Social Assistance with 18% and 15% of total jobs respectively, followed by Professional and Business Services (14%), Financial Services (10%), and Leisure and Hospitality and Manufacturing (both at 9.0%). These shares were largely similar to the state and national distribution of jobs.
Essex County's trends were very similar to trends in the comparison counties. All the counties, for example, had losses in Manufacturing - jobs fell 44% in Westchester, NY, 40% in Middlesex, MA and 3% in Lake County, IL. - and gains in Financial Activities - up 77% in Westchester, 80% in Middlesex and 35% in Lake.
County employment estimates are reported by place of work, not place of residence.
| Agriculture | Construction | Educational Services | Financial Activities | Government | Health Care and Social Assistance | Information | Leisure and Hospitality | Manufacturing | Natural Resources and Mining | Other Services | Professional and Business Services | Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | -30% | 36% | 69% | 82% | -3% | 46% | -35% | 17% | -33% | -10% | 26% | 20% | 22% | 17% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 35% | 19% | 23% | 80% | 6% | 45% | -11% | 17% | -40% | -31% | 10% | 38% | 3% | 17% |
| Lake County, IL | -18% | -17% | 17% | 35% | -3% | 24% | -51% | 17% | -3% | N/A | 12% | 23% | 6% | 9% |
| Westchester County, NY | -1% | 16% | 15% | 77% | -3% | 19% | -48% | 23% | -44% | N/A | 20% | 17% | -1% | 14% |
| Massachusetts | -3% | 23% | 37% | 51% | -1% | 47% | -13% | 14% | -38% | -7% | 14% | 29% | 12% | 17% |
| Agriculture | Construction | Educational Services | Financial Activities | Government | Health Care and Social Assistance | Information | Leisure and Hospitality | Manufacturing | Natural Resources and Mining | Other Services | Professional and Business Services | Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 592 | 28,717 | 13,855 | 45,821 | 41,095 | 69,889 | 6,417 | 39,925 | 40,264 | 1,528 | 26,558 | 65,104 | 81,406 | 461,171 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 1,986 | 65,633 | 90,495 | 117,227 | 93,905 | 137,610 | 44,314 | 84,120 | 72,226 | 1,156 | 51,571 | 314,237 | 171,034 | 1,245,514 |
| Lake County, IL | 560 | 18,939 | 8,959 | 57,653 | 60,334 | 35,282 | 3,356 | 34,008 | 54,387 | 702 | 21,856 | 82,955 | 89,314 | 468,305 |
| Westchester County, NY | 391 | 37,564 | 22,257 | 107,358 | 62,581 | 85,837 | 9,693 | 46,454 | 13,110 | N/A | 39,778 | 95,482 | 90,552 | 611,783 |
| Massachusetts | 10,342 | 268,632 | 252,264 | 535,339 | 453,829 | 692,494 | 106,694 | 381,295 | 246,400 | 12,130 | 224,728 | 825,377 | 751,747 | 4,761,271 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | ESSEX COUNTY |
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