Economic Overviews

As of 2022Q3, total employment for Monterey County, California, was 207,244 (based on a four-quarter moving average). Over the year ending 2022Q3, employment increased 3.1% in the county.

The largest sector in Monterey County, California is Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, employing 57,593 workers. The next-largest sectors in the region are Health Care and Social Assistance (22,708 workers) and Accommodation and Food Services (21,635). High location quotients (LQs) indicate sectors in which a region has high concentrations of employment compared to the national average. The sectors with the largest LQs in the region are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (LQ = 20.76), Public Administration (1.48), and Accommodation and Food Services (1.23).

State of the Workforce for Monterey County

Reimagination and Recovery After the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Monterey County Workforce Development Board engaged BW Research to develop a state of the workforce analysis as the region begins to come out from under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented turmoil in the economy and labor force caused by the pandemic has left thousands of local workers unemployed and businesses shuttered. One silver lining of the destruction and upheaval caused by the pandemic is an opportunity to reimagine the world of work. The data in this report seek to not only discuss what effects the pandemic has had, but also generate thought and discussion around opportunities to revise the world of work and workforce development in Monterey County.

Living Wage Calculation for Monterey County, California

Source: MIT

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support their family, if they are the sole provider and are working full-time (2080 hours per year). All values are per adult in a family unless otherwise noted. The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. The poverty rate is typically quoted as gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison. Read more…