Making the Most of
Economic Data
Dr. Nancy Brown, FAICP, Dean of Workforce Development
Center for Workforce Development
Walters State Community College, Morristown, TN
A Tennessee Board of Regents Institution
Walters State Community College is the administrative and program entity
for the Smoky Mountains Area WIA Board
Some Economic Data Questions
Who are your customers?
How do you use data?
What other information is useful and why?
What else can you learn from economic data?
Customers:
Who Are They & What Do They Need?
OCCUPATIONS
IN DEMAND
TARGET
SECTORS
SMOKY
MOUNTAINS
AREA
\WIA
BOARD
&
STAFF
INDUSTRY
RECRUITING
DATA
CHAMBERS
& OTHER
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
ORGS
AVERAGE
WAGES
INDIVIDUAL
BUSINESSES
OCCUPATIONAL
DEMAND
OVER TIME
TRAINING
PROVIDERS
Individual &
summary reports
on most in
demand
occupations &
wages for career
specialists and
applicants
COLLEGE
INDUSTRY
PROSPECT
WIA
CAREER
CENTER
STAFF
CHAMBERS
Report on
projected
demand and
county
educational
attainment
Report on
employment &
unemployment
in specific
occupations
Data on demand
for a proposed
training program
COUNTY
MAYOR
SMOKY MTN
AREA WIA BD
Yearly report to
choose target
sectors for
planning and
program strategy
Employment &
commuting
patterns for
single county
Using Data: Data Sources
EMSI
BEA
BLS
CENSUS
Nielsen
Claritas
STATES
RRR
Using Data: EMSI
• Wide variety of data sources in one
location
• Multi-state data in one location
• Fast and attractive reports
• Frequent updates
• User-friendly
• Open to feedback
• Flexible
Using Data: What’s Your BEA?
Using Data:
BEA Regions & Areas
BEA Regions:
• 8 regions: Far West, Great Lakes, Mideast, New
England, Plains, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, Southwest.
• Have similar economic characteristics, such as :
industrial composition of the labor force, demographic,
social and cultural characteristics
BEA Economic Areas (EAs)
• Define the regional markets surrounding metropolitan or
micropolitan statistical areas.
• Include and counties that are economically related to the
metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area
Using Data:
American Community Survey (ACS)
 Supplements Census data
 Helps determine how federal and state funds
are distributed.
 Includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Age, sex, race, family and relationships
Income and benefits, health insurance
Education
Veteran status, disabilities
Where you work and how you get there
Where you live and how much you pay for some
essentials
Using Data:
Who’s Included in the ACS?
• Only 40% of counties have yearly data.
• Rural data is averaged over time. This is a particular
problem in big counties (primarily in the West).
• Data that is averaged from 2005-2009 (as most data for
rural counties is), [includes] some really good and really
bad years…This may result in rural areas appearing to
fare better or worse than in reality.
– Kathy Miller, RUPRI Program Director, Rural Assistance Center, US
Dept of Health & Human Services
Using Data: Building a Pipeline
Examples of
Occupations
Trained
EMSI Yearly
Demand
HVAC
11
14
Local Industry Demand
Industrial Maint
12
31
New Industry Demand
Nurses, LPN
49
56
Commuting
Nurses, RN
33
39
Continuing Demand in 3
LWIAs
Police Officers
1
25
Other Funding Source
Truck Drivers
2
203
Welders
5
40
Considerations
ITA Maximum, Retention
New Industry Demand
Using Data:
What about Funding a New Program?
Example: Clean Energy Technology
• Current Demand?
– Employment in associated occupations
– Number and size of CET and related
businesses/industries
• Funding?
• Sustainability?
– Future demand for energy efficient
construction and products
– Future demand for associated occupations
Using Data:
Is it worth applying for a grant?
• Deciding how large an area should be
included
• Combining data from different
occupations and industry categories
• Measuring the chance of getting a grant
• Documenting data sources
• Covering all of the data questions
• Combining forces with other
organizations
Using Data:
Choosing Target Sectors
DESCRIPTION
Offices of Physicians
General Freight Trucking
Plastics Product Manufacturing
Depository Credit Intermediation
Education and Hospitals (Local Government)
Health and Personal Care Stores
Colleges, Universities, and Professional
Schools (Private)
AT LEAST 50+
ADDITIONAL
JOBS
2012 AVG.
ANNUAL WAGE
$30,000+
81
67
62
58
54
59
$74,532
50
$37,790
$49,618
$48,671
$46,948
$42,657
$39,139
Other Useful Information
•
•
•
•
Local business climate
Community business surveys
Educational initiatives
Qualitative data on community
goals
• Career center use statistics
• Enrollment in programs,
including WIA
• Cultural activities
Exploring Data:
An Experiment in Comparing Areas
• Chose an area with similar characteristics
– Population
– Location
• Generated reports on each area’s economy
• Compiled data in one Excel file
• Identified anomalies and looked for reasons
– Why are wages so much higher in one area for
some occupations?
– Is there a potential gap in training that needs to
be filled?
Choosing Two Areas
10 counties in E TN
Tourism-oriented – Great
Smoky Mountains
National Park
Population 455,572 (2012) –
4.1% growth, 94% white
Adjacent to Knoxville, TN
10 Counties in SW NC
Tourism-oriented - Great Smoky
Mountains National Park
Population 364,047 (2012)
4.7% growth, 90% white
Adjacent to Asheville, NC
Overview of the Two Areas in
Mid E TN & SW NC*
Mid E TN
Population
SW NC
Difference
455,572
364,047
80%
10
10
0%
33.669
$31,930
86%
193,462
165,802
95%
Unemployed (4/2012)
18,339
14,734
80%
Completions (2010)
3,812
4,021
105%
$9,956,779,905
$8,011,284,793
80%
$15,566,213,647 $10,617,883,801
68%
Counties
Average Earnings
Jobs (2012)
GRP (2011)
Exports (2011)
Imports (2011)
$19,380,262,406
$15,147,746,252
The mid E TN area is composed of the 10 counties in the Smoky
Mountains WIA Area. The SW NC area is composed of the 10 counties
in the Advantage West Partnership.
78%
Probable Advantages of Mid E TN
Examples of the 24 industries in mid E TN with:
 An average wage at least $10,000 more per year
 At least 10 openings per year
• :Commercial Bakeries
•
•
•
•
Explosives Manufacturing
Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers - Walmart Distribution Center
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (Private) Lincoln Memorial University & Tusculum College
• Sports Teams and Clubs - Smokies baseball team
Potential Opportunities for Mid E TN
Examples of the 16 industries in SW NC with
 An average wage at least $10,000 more per
year
 At least 10 openings per year
• Miscellaneous Intermediation
• Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton
Ginning)
• Nonclay Refractory Manufacturing
• Golf Courses and Country Clubs
• Computer Systems Design Services
• Securities Brokerage
• Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing
Thoughts & Questions
• Comparison with like areas may give some clues
about useful areas to pursue in workforce
development
• Comparison with a community that is viewed as an
ideal (not just similar) may be useful
• Many questions need to be asked, such as:
 What is the reason for more employment in a specific
sector?
 Are the wages in an occupation or industry attractive
to the community?
 Etc., etc. etc.
Reports 101
•
•
•
•
Focus on what the customer needs
Use clipping feature to combine data – avoid overlap
Download into Word or Excel (if only option)
Translate Excel reports into tables that match format of
other data
• Customize the title page
– Adapt title, as needed
– Add contact information, graphics to further customize
• Insert page numbers
• Change page breaks, as needed
• Combine data sources on the last page, if there are
duplicates
Lessons Learned
•
•
•
•
Eschew obfuscation
Avoid over explaining data BUT…
Know the data thoroughly yourself
Avoid simplifying data too much or too little
– Run and EMSI report first
– Add or subtract information to suit the
audience/customer’s needs but…
– Let the data tell the real story
• When using EMSI, ask the staff!
– Give feedback on problems
– Make suggestions for improvements
Contact
Dr. Nancy Brown, Dean of Workforce Development
Walters State Community College
500 South Davy Crockett Parkway
Morristown, TN 37813
423-318-2709 (Phone)
423-585-8789 (Fax)
Nancy.Brown@ws.edu
The Center for Workforce Development at Walters State Community College is the administrative
entity for the WIA program, which is funded under an agreement with the Tennessee Department of
Labor and Workforce Development. Walters State is an equal opportunity employer and provider of
employment and training services. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, age, political affiliation, or
belief. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to persons with disabilities.