In 2013, the median household income for residents in Fresno County was $45,563 and $45,625 for residents in Madera County. This compares to $61,094 for California and $53,046 for the United States as a whole. The proportion of people whose income in the past 12 months was below the poverty level in 2013 was 26 percent in Fresno County and 23 percent in Madera County. This compares to 16 percent in California and 15 percent in the United States. Figure 4: Income and Benefits (in 2013 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars) 4 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 7.8% 6.8% 13.4% 11.8% 14.0% 17.7% 10.8% 11.0% 3.9% 2.9% A majority (60%) of the region’s housing was owner-occupied in 2013, while 40 percent of all housing was renter occupied. 4 American Community Survey (ACS) 2013 five year estimates
The largest employers in the region (using traditional 2-digit NAICS) for these jobs include; • Health Care and Social Assistance (25,818 jobs in 2014, 40.5% of all regional employment for jobs that require some college, an associate’s degree or a postsecondary non-degree award), for which General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (8,437 jobs in 2014), Offices of Physicians (3,925 jobs in 2014) and Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (3,376 jobs in 2014) make up the majority of total employment in the broader industry. • Government (16,184 jobs in 2014, 25.4% of all regional employment for jobs that require some college, an associate’s degree or a postsecondary non-degree award), for which Education (Local Government) (6,947 jobs in 2014), Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals (2,980 jobs in 2014), and Hospitals (Local Government) (2,456 total jobs in 2014) represent the majority of employment within the wider industry. • Transportation and Warehousing (5,792 jobs in 2014, 9.1% of all regional employment for jobs that require some college, an associate’s degree or a postsecondary non-degree for which General Freight Trucking, Long Distance (1,594 jobs in 2014), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Local (1,460 jobs in 2014), and General Freight Trucking, Local (1,327 jobs in 2014) account for the majority of total jobs in the broader industry. • Manufacturing (2,985 jobs in 2014, 4.7% of all regional employment for jobs that require some college, an associate’s degree or a postsecondary non-degree award), for which Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (445 jobs in 2014), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (280 jobs in 2014), and Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (201 jobs in 2014) represent nearly a third of overall employment in the broader industry.
Regional Occupational Openings In the four-county region, Registered Nurses and Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers each accounted for 15 percent of all annual openings for jobs that require some college, an associate’s degree, or a postsecondary non-degree award. Teacher Assistants (248 annual openings), Nursing Assistants (223 annual openings), and Medical Assistants (219 annual openings) accounted for a quarter of all annual openings. Nearly three-quarters (73.3%) of the occupations in Table 2 had a typical education requirement of a postsecondary non-degree award. Table 2: Top 15 Occupations by Annual Openings (2013) Occupation 2013 Jobs Annual Openings Regional Completions (2013) Median Hourly Earnings Education Level Registered Nurses 10,005 426 1,177 $37.25 Associate's degree Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 9,184 411 343 $17.05 Postsecondary non- degree award Teacher Assistants 7,026 248 18 $13.49 Some college, no degree Nursing Assistants 4,603 223 253 $11.57 Postsecondary non- degree award Medical Assistants 3,857 219 2,594 $13.66 Postsecondary non- degree Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 2,524 140 458 $22.85 Postsecondary non- degree award Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education 2,094 115 241 $12.97 Associate's degree Psychiatric Technicians 1,308 78 334 $26.13 Postsecondary non- degree Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers 1,025 59 389 $19.57 Postsecondary non- degree award Computer User Support Specialists 1,257 55 182 $22.52 Some college, no degree
Firms that employ workers that require less than a 4-year degree were asked about difficulty finding qualified applicants who meet the organization’s hiring standards. The largest proportion of employers (45%) had little to no difficulty finding qualified applicants that require less than a 4-year degree, while 34 percent had “Some difficulty” and 21 percent had “Great difficulty” finding qualified applicants. Figure 14: Difficulty Finding Applicants that Require Less than a 4-Year Degree13 Some difficulty 34.5% Little to no difficulty 44.6% Great difficulty 20.9% • Employers in the manufacturing industry were more likely to report “Great difficulty” (45%) when compared to the agriculture industry (27%), building and design & transportation and logistics (21%), healthcare services (19%), retail & food and accommodation services (14%), and information and communications technologies industry (7%). 13 DK/NA answers were omitted from this analysis
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Screener Questions A. Are you involved in staffing or hiring decisions at your firm or organization? 100.0% Yes 0.0% No [TERMINATE] 0.0% Not sure [TERMINATE] B. Does your company or organization have one or more locations in Fresno or Madera County? [IF YES) How many locations? 70.7% 1 location in Fresno or Madera County 14.7% 2 to 4 locations in Fresno or Madera County 12.0% 5 or more locations in Fresno or Madera County 2.7% DK/NA C. What is the zip code of your current location in Fresno or Madera County? 100.0% Enter zip code 0.0% Not in Fresno or Madera County [TERMINATE] 0.0% Not sure [TERMINATE] D. Which industry would you most closely identify with? [DO NOT READ, ALLOW MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE] (Multiple Responses Permitted - Percentages May Sum to More than 100%) 20.0% Healthcare services
[ONLY ASK IF Q6 = “Extremely important” OR “Important” FOR EACH ITEM] 7. Now, thinking about those candidates or recently employed workers for positions at your firm that do not require a 4 year college degree, how often are they deficient for each of the following items: often deficient, sometimes deficient, or seldom or never deficient. RANDOMIZE Often deficient Sometimes deficient Seldom or never deficient Depends Don't know/ Refused A. An industry recognized credential or certificate (n=66) 18.2% 39.4% 31.8% 1.5% 9.1% B. At one year of industry related work experience (n=101) 22.8% 37.6% 36.6% 1.0% 2.0% C. Ability to speak and communicate with customers and colleagues (n=136) 15.4% 37.5% 43.4% 0.7% 2.9% D. An associates degree (n=36) 22.2% 38.9% 22.2% 8.3% 8.3% E. Ability to write and document complex information (n=109) 20.2% 42.2% 33.9% 1.8% 1.8% F. Ability to use technology and learn new technology tools and applications (n=123) 15.4% 38.2% 44.7% 0.8% 0.8% G. Ability to work with others and contribute as part of a team (n=142) 17.6% 31.7% 48.6% 0.7% 1.4%