Sen. Vincent J. Fumo
 

District Office

1208 Tasker Street
Phila, PA 19148
215-468-3866

Harrisburg Office

545 Main Capitol
Hbg, PA 17120
717-787-5662

 





  
_____________________NEWS RELEASE
State Senator
VINCENT J. FUMO
1st Senatorial District
Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman
Room 545 Main Capitol, Harrisburg PA 17120
Internet Website: www.fumo.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:  GARY TUMA
PHONE: 717-787-5662 

PENNSYLVANIA LOST JOBS IN 2001, RANKED 26TH NATIONALLY

     HARRISBURG, February 4, 2002 – Pennsylvania suffered a net loss of approximately 25,800 jobs last year, a drop of 0.45 percent from the previous year. In a recessionary economy in which a large majority of states saw total employment decline, Pennsylvania ranked 26th nationally in job creation.

     The rankings are based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for total non-farm employment in calendar year 2001.

     This was the first time Pennsylvania had negative job growth in 10 years.

     Pennsylvania had lagged badly behind the rest of the nation during the recent prior period of strong economic growth, ranking 47th in 1999 and 45th in 2000.

     Considering that the most severe employment cutbacks during this recession have come in high-tech industries, it is understandable that Pennsylvania was not affected as much as other states, given that it did not experience the strong growth that the rest of the nation enjoyed in that sector of the economy during the 1990s.

     Pennsylvania fared worse in manufacturing in 2001, where it ranked only 33rd in job growth. Forty-nine of the 50 states (all except Hawaii) had a net loss in that category in 2001. Pennsylvania lost 51,000 manufacturing jobs, or 5.53 percent.

     Pennsylvania’s net decline was softened by the growth of the public employment sector. While suffering an overall loss of 25,800 jobs, the state had a net gain of 7,600 government workers.

     Only 15 of the 50 states gained jobs last year, led by Florida with a growth rate of 1.9 percent. Oregon suffered the worst loss, with a negative rate of 2.27 percent.

#

Note on method of calculation:

Much has been discussed lately on conflicting job creation rankings. Because the statistic analyzes growth (or decline) over a period of time, the beginning and ending points selected for analysis help determine the ranking. Thus, comparing employment change over six months from January to July will yield one rate, over 12 months from September to September a slightly different rate, and so on.

Also, various categories of employment can be included or not included.

Sen. Fumo’s office, in calculating job growth rankings in recent years, has consistently used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for total non-farm employment, and has compared December of one year to December of the following year to calculate an annual rate. That is the data contained in this release and on the accompanying chart.

 

State Employment Growth (Thousands)
Percentage Change In Total State Employment
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Rank Net % Growth 12/00-12/01 State Total Emp Dec. 2000 Total Emp Dec. 2001 Net Emp Growth Net % Change Rank 2000 Rank 1999 Rank 1998
               
1 Florida       7,187      7,323     136.40 1.90% 3 3 5
2 Alaska          285         290         5.30 1.86% 31 40 15
3 Wyoming          241         245         4.40 1.83% 8 18 39
4 New Mexico          748         756         8.00 1.07% 14 26 47
5 Oklahoma       1,492      1,507       15.70 1.05% 30 36 17
6 Kansas       1,354      1,368       14.10 1.04% 18 43 11
7 Texas       9,564      9,653       89.10 0.93% 6 21 3
8 Montana          392         395         2.90 0.74% 22 15 28
9 Nevada       1,053      1,060         7.40 0.70% 1 1 1
10 Rhode Island          478         480         2.70 0.57% 27 31 40
11 Virginia       3,543      3,553       10.30 0.29% 13 19 10
12 Kentucky       1,834      1,837         3.30 0.18% 23 13 24
13 Idaho          568         569         0.90 0.16% 4 5 27
14 Tennessee       2,753      2,755         1.30 0.05% 36 38 30
15 North Dakota          327         328         0.10 0.03% 48 35 48
16 Iowa       1,488      1,487       (1.40) -0.09% 17 44 23
17 Maine          610         609       (1.20) -0.20% 20 10 14
18 Massachusetts       3,357      3,350       (7.80) -0.23% 21 23 32
19 Nebraska          912         909       (2.30) -0.25% 50 46 18
20 California     14,759    14,721     (38.10) -0.26% 5 14 2
21 Louisiana       1,944      1,939       (5.20) -0.27% 35 48 46
22 North Carolina       3,972      3,961     (10.70) -0.27% 40 29 12
23 Arkansas       1,169      1,165       (4.10) -0.35% 12 20 44
24 New Jersey       4,031      4,017     (14.50) -0.36% 29 28 35
25 Wisconsin       2,843      2,831     (11.70) -0.41% 28 30 25
26 Pennsylvania       5,735      5,709     (25.80) -0.45% 45 47 42
27 Maryland       2,477      2,466     (11.60) -0.47% 11 16 21
28 Vermont          301         299       (1.60) -0.53% 16 24 43
29 Ohio       5,663      5,629     (34.80) -0.61% 42 42 37
30 West Virginia          738         733       (4.60) -0.62% 37 50 38
31 New Hampshire          625         619       (5.90) -0.94% 44 17 9
32 Illinois       6,019      5,958     (61.20) -1.02% 39 49 31
33 South Dakota          380         376       (3.90) -1.03% 38 8 13
34 Connecticut       1,698      1,680     (18.00) -1.06% 34 33 34
35 New York       8,692      8,597     (94.40) -1.09% 19 12 29
36 Colorado       2,247      2,223     (24.60) -1.09% 9 6 7
37 Washington       2,742      2,711     (30.20) -1.10% 15 32 20
38 South Carolina       1,892      1,871     (21.50) -1.14% 25 9 6
39 Utah       1,091      1,078     (12.90) -1.18% 7 11 19
40 Minnesota       2,682      2,649     (33.50) -1.25% 26 22 26
41 Michigan       4,705      4,640     (64.30) -1.37% 43 45 49
42 Delaware          427         421       (6.10) -1.43% 24 7 16
43 Arizona       2,280      2,247     (33.60) -1.47% 2 2 4
44 Indiana       3,009      2,959     (50.40) -1.68% 46 34 22
45 Alabama       1,938      1,906     (32.80) -1.69% 47 27 41
46 Missouri       2,761      2,714     (47.60) -1.72% 33 37 36
47 Hawaii          559         549     (10.70) -1.91% 10 41 50
48 Mississippi       1,151      1,129     (22.60) -1.96% 49 39 33
49 Georgia       4,014      3,925     (88.40) -2.20% 32 4 8
50 Oregon       1,613      1,576     (36.60) -2.27% 41 25 45

 

State Manufacturing Employment Growth (Thousands)
Percentage Change In Total State Manufacturing Employment
Source:  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Rank Net % Growth 12/00-12/01 State Total Man. Emp Dec. 2000 Total Man. Emp Dec. 2001 Net Emp Growth Net % Change
Hawaii        
1                17.3              17.5            0.20 1.16%
2 Nevada              45.6              45.2           (0.40) -0.88%
3 Wyoming              11.4              11.2           (0.20) -1.75%
4 North Dakota              25.3              24.8           (0.50) -1.98%
5 Kansas            210.3            206.0           (4.30) -2.04%
6 Iowa            261.4            255.5           (5.90) -2.26%
7 Florida            486.3            473.9         (12.40) -2.55%
8 Texas         1,086.9         1,057.9         (29.00) -2.67%
9 Idaho              76.5              73.8           (2.70) -3.53%
10 Louisiana            182.4            175.9           (6.50) -3.56%
11 Vermont              49.5              47.7           (1.80) -3.64%
12 New Mexico              43.1              41.5           (1.60) -3.71%
13 Alaska              13.0              12.5           (0.50) -3.85%
14 Ohio         1,079.2         1,036.3         (42.90) -3.98%
15 Nebraska            119.9            115.1           (4.80) -4.00%
16 Maryland            178.8            171.2           (7.60) -4.25%
17 Oklahoma            182.0            174.1           (7.90) -4.34%
18 Connecticut            261.3            249.9         (11.40) -4.36%
19 Georgia            581.8            556.1         (25.70) -4.42%
20 Rhode Island              72.3              69.1           (3.20) -4.43%
21 Minnesota            438.9            419.1         (19.80) -4.51%
22 Massachusetts            437.3            417.5         (19.80) -4.53%
23 Alabama            356.1            339.7         (16.40) -4.61%
24 West Virginia              79.8              76.1           (3.70) -4.64%
25 Virginia            385.9            368.0         (17.90) -4.64%
26 Tennessee            503.3            479.6         (23.70) -4.71%
27 California         1,953.2         1,860.5         (92.70) -4.75%
28 Illinois            940.9            894.6         (46.30) -4.92%
29 Colorado            206.5            196.2         (10.30) -4.99%
30 Indiana            677.7            641.2         (36.50) -5.39%
31 Kentucky            318.5            301.3         (17.20) -5.40%
32 New York            868.0            820.7         (47.30) -5.45%
33 Pennsylvania            923.0            872.0         (51.00) -5.53%
34 Michigan            974.8            919.9         (54.90) -5.63%
35 Wisconsin            614.0            579.0         (35.00) -5.70%
36 Arizona            216.8            204.1         (12.70) -5.86%
37 New Jersey            458.7            431.4         (27.30) -5.95%
38 Missouri            400.7            375.9         (24.80) -6.19%
39 Montana              24.8              23.2           (1.60) -6.45%
40 Utah            131.7            123.2           (8.50) -6.45%
41 New Hampshire            105.2              98.2           (7.00) -6.65%
42 Mississippi            227.3            212.1         (15.20) -6.69%
43 Washington            346.2            323.0         (23.20) -6.70%
44 Arkansas            250.3            233.4         (16.90) -6.75%
45 South Carolina            346.2            322.5         (23.70) -6.85%
46 Maine              84.4              78.4           (6.00) -7.11%
47 Delaware              58.5              54.3           (4.20) -7.18%
48 Oregon            245.2            227.1         (18.10) -7.38%
49 North Carolina            772.8            712.0         (60.80) -7.87%
50 South Dakota              49.2              43.2           (6.00) -12.20%