Lake Charles Economy Better Than National Average
June 9, 2012 2:42 PM 
Yet another reason we are lucky to be living is Southwest Louisiana; the economy here does not reflect the national figures. So far, in 2012, the national unemployment figures are hovering around 8%. That’s not as bad as November of 2009 (10%) but still, the economy remains sluggish.
Our local economy not only looks better now, but it’s projected to get better through the course of the year:
Here is a quick glance at the national figures
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
2002 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 6.0
2003 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.0 5.8 5.7
2004 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.4
2005 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9
2006 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4
2007 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 5.0
2008 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.1 6.5 6.8 7.3
2009 7.8 8.3 8.7 8.9 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.8 10.0 9.9 9.9
2010 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.9 9.6 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.5 9.5 9.8 9.4
2011 9.1 9.0 8.9 9.0 9.0 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.0 8.9 8.7 8.5
2012 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.1 8.2
Here are the latest figures for Lake Charles:
Lake Charles, LA
| Lake Charles, LA
Data Series |
Back Data |
Nov 2011 |
Dec 2011 |
Jan 2012 |
Feb 2012 |
Mar 2012 |
Apr 2012 |
| Labor Force Data | |||||||
| Civilian Labor Force (1) | (4) 92.2 | (4) 91.1 | 90.5 | 90.5 | 90.8 | (P) 92.1 | |
| Employment (1) | (4) 86.4 | (4) 85.4 | 84.1 | 84.5 | 84.7 | (P) 86.5 | |
| Unemployment (1) | (4) 5.8 | (4) 5.7 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 6.1 | (P) 5.7 | |
| Unemployment Rate (2) | (4) 6.3 | (4) 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 6.7 | (P) 6.1 | |
| Nonfarm Wage and Salary Employment | |||||||
| Total Nonfarm (3) | 88.3 | 88.3 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 87.8 | (P) 88.9 | |
| 12-month % change | 0.1 | -0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 | -0.9 | (P) -0.7 | |
| Mining and Logging (3) | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | (P) 1.3 | |
| 12-month % change | 27.3 | 40.0 | 27.3 | 27.3 | 27.3 | (P) 0.0 | |
| Construction (3) | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.3 | (P) 8.3 | |
| 12-month % change | 5.1 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | (P) 1.2 | |
| Manufacturing (3) | 8.8 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.8 | (P) 8.9 | |
| 12-month % change | 2.3 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | (P) 1.1 | |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (3) | 16.0 | 16.3 | 15.8 | 15.6 | 15.8 | (P) 16.3 | |
| 12-month % change | -3.0 | -3.6 | -4.8 | -6.0 | -4.8 | (P) -1.8 | |
| Professional and Business Services (3) | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.1 | (P) 7.1 | |
| 12-month % change | 4.4 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 2.9 | 1.4 | (P) 0.0 | |
| Leisure and Hospitality (3) | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.4 | 11.6 | (P) 11.8 | |
| 12-month % change | -1.7 | -0.9 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 1.8 | (P) 3.5 | |
| Government (3) | 16.3 | 16.2 | 16.0 | 16.2 | 16.1 | (P) 16.2 | |
| 12-month % change | 0.6 | 0.0 | -1.8 | -1.2 | -1.2 | (P) -1.2 | |
| Footnotes (1) Number of persons, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted. (2) In percent, not seasonally adjusted. (3) Number of jobs, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted. See About the data. (4) Reflects revised inputs, reestimation, and controlling to new statewide totals. (P) Preliminary |
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