2013 Hamilton County Iowa Laborshed Report

HAMILTON COUNTY, IOWA
BUILD PEOPLE. BUILD BUSINESS. BUILD COMMUNITY.

LABORSHED ANALYSIS
A Study of Workforce Characteristics
Released March 2013

A Project of:

In Partnership with:

For more information regarding the Hamilton County Laborshed Analysis, contact:

Hamilton County S.E.E.D. Webster City Economic Development
P.O. Box 474 P.O. Box 217
Webster City, IA 50595 Webster City, IA 50595
Phone: 515-832-9575 Phone: 515-832-9151
Email: hamcseed@wmtel.net Email: info@buildwebstercity.com
www.develop.hamiltoncountyiowa.com www.buildwebstercity.com

T C

Laborshed Analysis 1
Es ma ng the Total Labor Force Poten al   2
Primary Industries of the Laborshed 5
Workforce Sta s cs   6
Analysis of Those Employed Willing to Change Employment 10
Out‐Commuters 17
Es mated Underemployed 18
Willingness of Those Not Currently Employed to Accept Employment 21
Unemployed 21
Voluntarily Not Employed/Not Re red 24
Re red Persons 24
Laborshed Maps
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Webster City 25
Labor Market Areas in Region: Hamilton County Laborshed Area 26
Survey Zones by ZIP Code: Hamilton County Laborshed Area 27
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Blairsburg 28
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Ellsworth 29
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Jewell 30
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Stra ord 31
Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence into Williams 32
Appendices
      A.  Background Informa on 34
      B.  Survey Methodology and Data 35
      C.  Current Methods for Es ma ng Employment and Unemployment 36
      D.  Occupa onal Employment Sta s cs (OES) Category Structure 39
Labor Market Informa on (Employer‐Based) Web Resources 40
References 41
Index of Figures 42







Hamilton County Laborshed Analysis i Released March 2013

Hamilton County Laborshed Analysis ii Released March 2013

L A
The purpose of this Laborshed analysis is to measure the availability and characteris cs of workers within the
region by developing and conduc ng a telephone survey based on geographic principles.  The Laborshed data
generated will aid local development officials in their facilita on of industry expansion and recruitment and
their service to exis ng industry in the area.  All such en es require detailed data describing the
characteris cs of the available labor force including current/desired wage rates and benefits, job qualifica ons
and skills, age cohorts, residence/work loca on, employment requirements/obstacles and the distances
individuals are willing to travel for employment.
The first step in determining the poten al available labor supply requires an understanding of the Laborshed.
Such an understanding will assist local development efforts by delinea ng the actual geographic boundaries
from which communi es are able to a ract their workers.  Determining the area’s Laborshed also builds the
founda on for collec ng valuable survey data and making es mates concerning the characteris cs of the
area’s poten al labor force.
In order to determine the boundaries of the Laborshed area, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) worked
closely with Hamilton County S.E.E.D. and Webster City Economic Development to iden fy where current
employees reside.  Employees were then aggregated into ZIP codes and placed into a geographic display for
analysis (see Commuter Concentra on by Place of Residence map).
Applying the mapping func on of ArcView Geographic Informa on System (GIS) so ware produces the
geographic display.  This GIS program has been u lized to overlay the ZIP code data set, the county data set
and transporta on routes.  IWD’s database of ZIP code data sets allows for numerous analyses and
comparisons of the poten al labor force, such as examining the complete demographic data for a ZIP code’s
age cohorts (age groupings).  Another benefit of applying GIS’s mapping func on is the ability to iden fy
visually where the workers are located, concentra ons of labor and transporta on routes used to travel to
work.  This representa on is a valuable tool in understanding the distribu on of the labor force within the
region.
The GIS analysis of the Laborshed area illustrates that segments of the Hamilton County Laborshed area are
located within a 50‐mile radii of the Ames, Cedar Falls‐Waterloo (IA) and Des Moines (IA) Metropolitan
Sta s cal Areas (MSA), as well as a 30‐mile radii of the Boone (IA), Fort Dodge (IA), Humboldt (IA) and Iowa
Falls (IA) labor market areas (see Labor Market Areas in Region map).  These labor centers will have an impact
on the size of the area’s labor force and on the a rac on of workers from within the Laborshed area.  The
Laborshed complements exis ng sources of labor data, such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor
Sta s cs (BLS) and the Employment Sta s cs (ES) and Labor Force & Occupa onal Analysis Bureaus of IWD
that concentrate on geographic areas based generally on a county or groups of coun es.
The following sec ons of this report summarize the results of the Laborshed survey.  Due to the magnitude of
the survey results, it is not prac cal to review each set of variables.  Instead, IWD has focused on the factors
found to be the most valuable to exis ng and future businesses.  However, IWD will certainly conduct
addi onal analyses if the development corpora ons and/or local businesses desire further review of specific
variable(s) or sets of responses.

Hamilton County Laborshed Analysis 1 Released March 2013

E T L F P
The fundamental goal of any Laborshed analysis is to es mate the poten al availability of workers and
determine how well the surrounding geographical areas are able to provide a stable supply of workers to the
central Laborshed node (see Figure 1).
Prior to applying the survey results for the Hamilton County Laborshed area, it was necessary to es mate the
size of the poten al labor force between the ages of 18 and 64 by ZIP code and survey zone.  A variety of
sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Sta s cs (BLS), Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and private
vendor publica ons and data sets are used to es mate the size and demographic details of the poten al labor
force of the Hamilton County Laborshed area.
A number of adjustments are made to the Hamilton County Laborshed area.  The ﬁrst adjustment is to account
for diﬀerences in the labor par cipa on rates within each of the zones.  These adjusted rates are achieved by
dividing the labor force cohort between the ages of 18 and 64 by the popula on cohort between the ages of 18
and 64 (LFC/PC).  The labor force cohort includes both employed and non‐employed persons that are looking
for work.  This ra o is similar to the BLS labor force par cipa on rate (LFPR), except that the LFPR includes the
total civilian non‐ins tu onalized popula on age 16 and above.  Since most employers are more concerned
with the popula on between the ages of 18 and 64, cohort groups below age 18 and above age 64 are
removed.
Employment demographic variables such as employment status, age, educa on level and miles driven to work
are taken into considera on when es ma ng the availability of workers.  Of par cular interest is the ordinal
variable that rates a person’s desire to change employment on a 1‐4 scale (1=very likely to change; 4=very
unlikely to change).
Factors are explored at both the micro (individual) level and at the macro (zip code or Laborshed) level.  The
probability of persons willing to accept or change employment is es mated using a logis c regression with
polytomous response model, which is based upon the above demographic variables drawn from survey data.
This probability is then used to es mate the total number of persons willing to accept or change employment
within each ZIP code.


Figure 1
Es mated Total Poten al Labor Force
Hamilton County Laborshed Area
Weighted Labor Force
Total Willing to
ZIP Total Population Total Adjusted
Change/Accept
Code 18 to 64 Labor Force
Employment*
Zone 1
Webster City, IA 50595 5,222 3,648 1,912
Total Zone 1 5,222 3,648 1,912
Zone 2
Blairsburg, IA 50034 282 197 92
Jewell, IA 50130 962 672 303
Kamrar, IA 50132 227 159 76
Stanhope, IA 50246 458 320 149
Stratford, IA 50249 757 529 238
Williams, IA 50271 360 251 114
Fort Dodge, IA 50501 17,998 13,718 6,146
Clarion, IA 50525 1,984 1,696 758
Duncombe, IA 50532 529 403 193
Eagle Grove, IA 50533 2,337 1,998 904
Lehigh, IA 50557 468 357 160
Otho, IA 50569 513 391 177
Vincent, IA 50594 189 144 65
Woolstock, IA 50599 220 188 91
Total Zone 2 27,284 21,023 9,466
Zone 3
Alden, IA 50006 964 858 63
Ames, IA 50010 20,732 15,532 698
Ames, IA 50014 22,650 16,969 1,014
Boone, IA 50036 9,923 9,148 543
Dows, IA 50071 566 484 33
Ellsworth, IA 50075 511 357 29
Galt, IA 50101 33 28 2
Gilbert, IA 50105 704 527 29
Iowa Falls, IA 50126 3,924 3,492 201
Pilot Mound, IA 50223 279 257 16
Radcliffe, IA 50230 627 558 37
Story City, IA 50248 2,506 1,877 111
Belmond, IA 50421 1,649 1,410 72
Hampton, IA 50441 3,243 2,899 121
Rowan, IA 50470 159 136 8
Zone 3 Continued on Next Page
*Total willing to Change/Accept Employment references those who would be willing to commute into Zone 1 from their
home ZIP Code for an employment opportunity.

Some ZIP codes may not be iden ﬁed above due to lack of informa on from the U.S. Census Bureau.


Figure 1 (cont’d)
Es mated Total Poten al Labor Force
Hamilton County Laborshed Area
Weighted Labor Force
Total Willing to
ZIP Total Population Total Adjusted
Change/Accept
Code 18 to 64 Labor Force
Employment*
Zone 3 Continued
Badger, IA 50516 424 323 24
Burnside, IA 50521 63 48 4
Callender, IA 50523 356 271 17
Dayton, IA 50530 666 508 34
Goldfield, IA 50542 561 480 41
Humboldt, IA 50548 3,183 2,639 128
Moorland, IA 50566 242 184 14
Rockwell City, IA 50579 1,312 1,163 44
Somers, IA 50586 181 160 9
Thor, IA 50591 197 163 12
Total Zone 3 75,655 60,471 3,304
Grand Total 108,161 85,142 14,682
*Total willing to Change/Accept Employment references those who would be willing to commute into Zone 1 from their
home ZIP Code for an employment opportunity.

Some ZIP codes may not be iden ﬁed above due to lack of informa on from the U.S. Census Bureau.


P I L

I I T H C L A ‐E
In order to provide consistency with other labor market informa on, the industrial categories iden ﬁed in this
Laborshed analysis will follow a similar format of the Standard Industrial Classiﬁca on Manual (1987).
Survey respondents from the Hamilton County Laborshed area were asked to iden fy the industry they are
currently working.  The following informa on is based on the responses from those Laborshed respondents
who are currently employed (Figure 2).
Figure 2
Where the Employed are Working

30.0%

25.5%
Educa on

25.0%

20.0%

Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
Healthcare &  Social Services
16.4%
Wholesale & Retail Trade

15.0% 13.5%

Entertainment & Recrea on
Personal Services
Manufacturing

Professional Services
9.6%
10.0%
*Government

6.8%
6.0% 6.0%
5.1%
*Transporta on

4.3%
Construc on
*Agriculture

4.0%
5.0%
2.0%
0.8%

0.0%
*Government & Public Administra on                  *Transporta on, Communica ons & U li es
*Agriculture, Forestry & Mining


W S

Essen ally, when everything else is stripped away, it is the people that are the key to a business’ success
(Expansion Management, January 2003) and in nearly all site loca on studies, labor cons tutes one of the most
– if not the most – important criterion of the study (AreaDevelopment, April/May 2006).  Profiling the
characteris cs of a community’s Laborshed reveals a very dynamic and diverse collec on of skills, abili es,
work experience and preferences among residents.  It is important to analyze each grouping of respondents to
iden fy and respect their uniqueness and contribu ons to the Laborshed.  The employed individuals who are
“very likely” or “somewhat likely” to change jobs within their company or accept a posi on with a different
employer represent the primary pool of available labor.  Many factors must be taken into account when
evalua ng these workers, such as employment experiences, unused skills, educa on, wages and benefits
desired and the distance individuals are willing to travel to work.  Current literature does not suggest standards
by which to compare this Laborshed data, however, results from previous Laborshed studies conducted by
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and the University of Northern Iowa’s Ins tute for Decision Making (IDM)
form a base of comparison for the study.
D E
The gender breakdown of those respondents, who are employed, is evenly distributed, 50.0 percent female
and 50.0 percent male.  The average age of the employed is 51 years old.  A small por on (3.4%) of the
employed respondents speak more than one language in their household.  Of those respondents, 62.5 percent
speak Spanish.
E S
The results of this Laborshed survey show that 73.6 percent of all the respondents iden fied themselves as
being employed at the me they were contacted (Figure 3).  The majority (71.5%) of the employed are working
in posi ons that are considered full‐ me (Figure 3).

Figure 3
Employment Status of Survey Respondents* Type of Employment
100% 2.4%
Percent Willing to Change/Accept Employment
Seasonal/Temporary
10.4% Self‐Employed
80%
15.4% Part‐Time
73.6%
56.1% Full‐Time
60% 50.0%
71.5%
40%
20.5%
20% 11.9%

10.1% 5.9% 10.4%
0%
Employed Unemployed Voluntarily Not Retired
Employed/Not Retired
*Employment status is self‐iden fied by the survey respondent.  The unemployment percentage above does not reflect the
unemployment rate published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta s cs, which applies a stricter defini on.

Over one‐tenth (10.4%) of the employed respondents are self‐employed.  The types of businesses they are
opera ng include farming (46.4%), construc on/handyman (14.3%), retail (14.3%), child care (10.7%), personal
services (7.1%), automo ve repair/service (3.6%) or professional services (3.6%).  The self‐employed have been
opera ng their businesses for an average of 21 years, ranging from one to 42 years.
E T
Nearly three‐fourths (72.5%) of the employed residents in the Laborshed area have some level  of educa on/
training beyond high school, 2.7 percent are trade cer fied, 2.0 percent have completed voca onal training,
13.4 percent have an associate degree, 25.5 percent have an undergraduate degree and 11.7 percent have a
postgraduate/professional degree.


Figure 4
Educa onal Fields of Study
% of
Fi el ds of Study
La bors hed
Bus i nes s , Publ i c Admi ni s tra ti on & Ma rketi ng 20.2%
Soci a l Sci ences 15.4% Figure 4 provides an overview of the educa onal
Educa ti on 14.9% ﬁelds of study of those who are currently
Hea l thca re/Medi ca l Studi es 11.2% employed in the Laborshed area.
Voca ti ona l Tra des 10.1%
Bus i nes s Admi ni s tra ti ve Support   8.5%
Agri cul tura l Studi es 6.4%
Computer Appl i ca ti ons /Progra mmi ng/Technol ogy 3.7%
Ma th & Sci ence 3.7%
Genera l Studi es /Li bera l Arts 3.2%
Engi neeri ng & Archi tecture 2.7%

O E
IWD recodes the respondents’ actual occupa ons into one of the seven Occupa onal Employment Sta s cs
(OES) categories.  The occupa onal categories represent a variety of speciﬁc occupa ons held by the
respondents (see OES Category Structure ‐ Appendix D).  Classifying the employed by occupa onal group,
Figure 5 shows that the largest concentra on of the workforce are employed within the professional,
paraprofessional & technical occupa onal category.  The agricultural occupa onal category represents the
smallest sector of workers who are currently employed.  The totals are based on the Total Adjusted Labor
Force es mates found in Figure 1 and the percentage of employed in the Laborshed area.
Figure 5
Es mated Workforce by Occupa on
Percent of Potenti a l Tota l
Occupa ti ona l Ca tegory
Res pondents i n La bors hed
Profes s i ona l , Pa ra profes s i ona l & Techni ca l 29.4% 18,423
Producti on, Cons tructi on, Opera ti ng,
21.6% 13,536
Ma i ntena nce & Ma teri a l Ha ndl i ng
Ma na geri a l /Admi nis tra ti ve 16.9% 10,590
Cleri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 13.5% 8,460
Servi ce 7.4% 4,637
Sa l es 6.8% 4,261
Agri cul ture 4.4% 2,757
Total 100% 62,664
To tals may vary due to ro unding metho ds.

Figure 6 provides a comparison of the gender distribu on within each occupa onal category.
Figure 6
Occupa onal Categories by Gender
Occupa ti ona l Ca tegory Ma l e Fema l e

Ma na geri a l /Admi ni s tra ti ve 54.5% 45.5%
Profes s i ona l , Pa ra profes s i ona l & Techni ca l 40.5% 59.5%
Sa l es 41.7% 58.3%
Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 5.6% 94.4%
Servi ce 36.6% 63.4%
Agri cul ture 100% 0.0%
81.1% 18.9%
Ma i ntena nce & Ma teri a l Ha ndl i ng


Figure 7 illustrates the percentage of respondents within each occupa onal category by zone of residence.
The figure shows that occupa onal experiences are generally spread across the survey zones.  Although Zone 1
is the primary node in the Laborshed area, the figure illustrates the impact  of the other zones on the extent of
available labor.  Within most of the occupa onal categories, the largest percentage of workers may o en
reside in outlying zones.
Figure 7
Occupa on Categories Across the Zones
Zone 1        Zone 2        Zone 3
Occupa ti onal Category
% of Zone % of Zone % of Zone
Mana geri a l /Admi ni s trati ve 32.7% 23.6% 43.7%
Profes s i ona l , Para profes s i ona l & Techni ca l 28.8% 33.3% 37.9%
Sal es 45.8% 33.3% 20.9%
Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 44.4% 22.2% 33.4%
Servi ce 34.1% 36.6% 29.3%
Agri cul ture 18.8% 62.5% 18.7%
31.6% 37.9% 30.5%
Mai ntena nce & Ma teri a l Ha ndl i ng
Equals 100% acro ss the zo nes

W R
Respondents are surveyed on either an hourly or salaried basis; hourly wages are not converted to annual
salaries.  The Hamilton County Laborshed area has a higher concentra on of respondents who are currently
receiving an hourly wage (59.1%) versus those who are receiving an annual salary (33.2%).  The current median
wage of those who are employed is $14.00 per hour and the median salary is $55,250 per year.
Figure 8 provides the current median wages and salaries by industry of the respondents in the Laborshed area.
This wage informa on is an overview of all employed within the Laborshed area without regard to
occupa onal categories or willingness to change employment.  If businesses are in need of wage rates within a
defined Laborshed area, the survey data can be queried by various a ributes to provide addi onal analysis of
the available labor supply.  The actual wage levels required by prospec ve workers will vary between
individuals, occupa onal categories, industries and economic cycles.
Figure 8
Median Wages & Salaries by Industry

Non Sa la ry Sa la ry
Indus try
(per hour) (per yea r)

Agri culture $        15.00 *
Cons tructi on $        17.50 *
Ma nufa cturi ng $        18.39 $      75,000
Tra ns porta ti on, Communica tion & Util i ti es $        12.56 $      50,000
Wholes a l e & Reta il Tra de $        11.25 $      61,000
Fi na nce, Ins ura nce & Rea l Es ta te $        15.38 *
Profes s i ona l Servi ces * *
Hea lthca re & Soci a l Services $        20.38 *
Enterta i nment, Recrea ti on & Pers ona l Servi ces $        11.75 $      36,000
Government & Publi c Admi ni s tra ti on $        20.00 $      41,500
Educa tion $        10.02 $      55,000
* Insufficient survey data/refused


Figure 9
Median Wages & Salaries by Occupa onal Category

Non Sa l ary Sal a ry
Occupati onal Category
(per hour) (per yea r)
Figure 9 illustrates current wage rates of Manageri a l /Admi ni s tra ti ve $        16.85 $      70,000
those who are currently employed within
Profes s i ona l , Para profes s i onal & Techni ca l $        15.40 $      55,000
each defined occupa onal category.
Sal es $        10.18 *
Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support $        13.50 $      41,000
Servi ce $        11.50 *
Agri cul ture * *
Producti on, Cons tructi on, Operati ng,
$        16.00 $      60,000
Mai ntenance & Ma teri a l Handl i ng

Wages by gender differ in the Hamilton County Laborshed area.  The current median hourly wage of employed
females in the Laborshed area is $12.00 per hour and the current median hourly wage of employed males is
$17.71 per hour.  This $5.71 per hour wage difference has females in the Hamilton County Laborshed area
receiving an hourly wage of 32.2 percent less than males.  Females who are receiving an annual salary also are
faced with gender wage disparity ($14,000 per year).  Currently females are making a median annual salary of
$50,000 per year while males are making a median salary of $64,000 a year.  This results in an 21.9 percent
difference in annual salaries.
E B
There are a variety of benefit packages being offered to employees within the Hamilton County Laborshed area
in addi on to wages.  Current benefits are shown in Figure 10.  Over two‐thirds (70.9%) of the respondents in
the Laborshed area state they are currently sharing the premium costs of health/medical insurance with their
employer, 21.6 percent indicate their employer covers the en re cost of insurance premiums while 7.5 percent
indicate they have made other arrangements.
Figure 10
Current Benefits Offered by Employers
Health/Medical Insurance 92.8%
Pension/Retirement Options 68.5%
Dental Coverage 60.4%
Paid Vacation 52.3%
Vision Coverage 37.9%
Paid Sick Leave 33.6%
Paid Holidays 31.9%
Life Insurance 28.1%
22.6% Disability Insurance
17.9% Prescription Drug Coverage
3.4% Paid Time Off
1.7% Tuition Assistance/Reimbursement
1.3% Flex Spending Accounts
1.3% Incentive Reward Programs
0.9% Health Club/Fitness Memberships
0.9% Stock Options
0.4% Flextime

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
C
Overall, individuals are commu ng an average of 9 miles one way for employment opportuni es.  Those who
live in Zone 1 are also commu ng an average of 9 miles one way, while residents in Zone 2 are commu ng an
average of 8 miles one way and Zone 3 residents are commu ng an average of 9 miles one way for
employment.  Keep in mind that for those residing in Zones 2 and 3 commu ng distances of less than 20 miles
one way may or may not get them into the nodal community (Webster City).


A T E
W C E
Analyzing the employed based on their willingness to change employment creates a profile of individuals
interested in changing from their current posi on.  The data shows that 20.5 percent of those who are
currently employed within the Laborshed area indicated they are either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to
change employers or employment if presented with the right job opportunity.  Job sa sfac on is the primary
reason that those who are currently employed are not willing to consider changing employment.  A good
working rela onship with current employer, age near re rement, benefits, job security, wages, flexibility of
work hours, seniority, employment loca on close to home, family reasons, self‐employed, a good working
rela onship with current coworkers, health issues, lack of job opportuni es, currently in school/training, just
started new job and current hours/shi s are other reasons men oned but not as frequently.
Figure 11
Totals by Zone
Es ti ma ted Number of
Total Adjus ted Es ti mated Tota l Wi l l i ng to
Empl oyed Wi l l i ng to
Labor Force by Zone Cha nge/Accept by Zone*
Change by Zone*
Zone 1 3,648 1,912 1,521
Zone 2 21,023 9,466 7,637
Zone 3 60,471 3,304 1,494
Total 85,142 14,682 10,652
*To tal Willing to Change/A ccept Emplo yment references tho se who wo uld be willing to co mmute into Zo ne 1 fro m
their ho me ZIP co de fo r an emplo yment o ppo rtunity.

Figure 11 shows the employed willing to change employment residing throughout the survey zones.
Respondents willing to change employment by zone are calculated using a logis c regression model weighted
by mul ple variables such as educa on level, gender, age, miles willing to travel and wages.  This model
provides an es mate for the total number of individuals “willing to change” by zone.  The totals are based on
the Total Adjusted Labor Force es mates found in Figure 1.
Nearly one‐fi h (16.4%) of those who are employed, willing to change employment, are working two or more
jobs.  This group would prefer to work full‐ me hours for one employer versus working for mul ple employers
to accomplish full‐ me employment.  Those who are employed willing to change are currently working an
average of 41 hours per week.  Nearly one‐fi h (19.7%) would consider employment offers that require them
to work more hours.  Further analysis finds that 81.2 percent would prefer to work full‐ me posi ons (35+
hrs./week), while 18.8 percent prefer posi ons with less than full‐ me hours.  Temporary and seasonal
employment opportuni es do not appeal to the majority of those who are currently employed and willing to
change employment.  Seasonal employment would interest 37.7 percent, while 24.6 percent would consider a
temporary employment offer.
When asked about their interest in entrepreneurship opportuni es, 23.0 percent of the employed, that are
willing to change employment, expressed an interest in star ng a business. The types of businesses they are
primarily interested in star ng include retail (25.0%), construc on/handyman (16.7%), restaurant (16.7%),
consul ng (8.3%), lawn care/snow removal (8.3%), professional services (8.3%) and trucking/logis cs (8.3%).
However, the majority find access to capital/start‐up funds is the primary impediment of opera ng their own
business venture followed by concerns about the economy, human resource/hiring procedures, risk involved
and me requirements.
A G E
The gender breakdown of respondents willing to change employment is distributed 54.1 percent female and
45.9 percent male.  Figure 12 (on next page) compares the gender distribu on among the employed
respondents willing to change employment in each zone.  These calcula ons are based on the Es mated
Number of Employed Willing to Change of 10,652 projec ons found in Figure 11.


Figure 12
Es mated Totals by Zone & Gender
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3
Fema l e Ma l e Femal e Ma l e Fema l e Ma l e
% of Zone 48.1% 51.9% 52.6% 47.4% 66.7% 33.3%
Es ti ma ted Total by Zone 732 789 4,017 3,620 996 498

The average age of those willing to change employment is 49 years of age.  Figure 13 provides a breakdown by
age category of the employed respondents who are willing to change employment.  These calcula ons are
based on the Es mated Number of Employed Willing to Change of 10,652 projec ons found in Figure 11.

Figure 13
Age Range Distribu on
% of         Potenti al Total
Age Ra nge
Res pondents i n La bors hed
18 to 24 3.3% 352
25 to 34 3.3% 352
35 to 44 26.2% 2,791
45 to 54 23.0% 2,450
55 to 64 44.2% 4,708
Total 100% 10,653
To tals may vary due to ro unding metho ds.

E T
The survey results show that 68.9 percent of the respondents willing to change employment have some level of
educa on/training beyond high school, 1.6 percent are trade cer fied, 4.9 percent have completed voca onal
training, 16.4 percent have an associate degree, 18.0 percent have an undergraduate degree and 9.8 percent
have a postgraduate/professional degree.  As with other segments of the Laborshed study, educa on levels
vary by industrial and occupa onal categories, gender and age groups.  Addi onal data can be provided for
specific inquiries regarding educa on and training by contac ng Hamilton County S.E.E.D. or Webster City
Economic Development.
Figure 14 provides an overview of the educa onal fields of study for those who are employed and willing to
change employment.

Figure 14
Educa onal Fields of Study
% of
Fi el ds of Study
La bors hed
Soci al Sci ences 23.7%
Bus i nes s , Publ i c Admi ni s tra ti on & Marketi ng 21.1%
Hea l thcare/Medi ca l Studi es 15.8%
Voca ti onal Trades 13.2%
Bus i nes s Admi ni s trati ve Support   7.9%
Computer Appl i ca ti ons /Programmi ng/Technol ogy 7.9%
Educa ti on 7.9%
Engi neeri ng & Archi tecture 2.5%
Agri cul tural Studi es *
Genera l Studi es /Li beral Arts *
Math & Sci ence *

Educa on and training are the keys to successful careers and employment opportuni es.  Over two‐fi hs
(42.6%) of the employed, willing to change employment, realize to make a successful transi on to new
employment or be promoted within their current organiza on, they will need addi onal educa on/training.


Those respondents desire to start/finish college degree (39.3%), a end computer courses (21.4%), obtain
con nuing educa on units “CEU’s” (17.9%) and a ain trade cer fica on (3.6%).  The primary areas of
computer training which they want to take are so ware classes (Office, Word, etc.) (50.0%) and programming
(COBOL, JAVA, network administra on, etc.) (16.7%).
Nearly one‐third (32.1%) are likely to seek addi onal training/educa on in their specified areas of study within
the next year.  Financing, lack of me (work scheduling conflicts), age and disability issues are the primary
obstacles to obtaining their educa onal/training needs.
Community and economic developers, college/university professionals and human resource professionals may
use this informa on as a guide for determining and enhancing their workforce educa on and training
programs.
O E
IWD recodes the respondents’ actual occupa ons into one of the seven Occupa onal Employment Sta s cs
(OES) categories.  The occupa onal categories represent a variety of specific occupa ons held by the
respondents (see OES Category Structure ‐ Appendix D). Classifying the employed by current occupa ons and
likeliness to change, Figure 15 shows that the largest concentra on of poten al available labor is employed
within the produc on, construc on & material handling and professional, paraprofessional & technical
occupa onal categories.  The agricultural occupa onal category represents the smallest sector of workers
willing to change employment.  The calcula ons for poten al available labor are based on the Es mated
Number of Employed Willing to Change of 10,652 projec ons found in Figure 11.
Figure 15
Es mated Workforce by Occupa on
% of Potenti a l
Occupati ona l Ca tegory
Res pondents Total i n La bors hed
26.2% 2,791
Profes s i ona l , Para profes s i ona l & Techni ca l 26.2% 2,791
Manageri a l /Admi ni s trati ve 14.8% 1,576
Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 13.2% 1,406
Sal es 9.8% 1,044
Service 9.8% 1,044
Agri cul ture * *
Total 100% 10,652

Figure 16 provides a comparison of those willing to change employment by gender.  The Hamilton County
Laborshed area has a higher percentage of females who are employed willing to change than males (54.1% and
45.9%, respec vely).  Employers within the Laborshed area looking to fill posi ons can u lize this informa on
to more efficiently focus their recruitment efforts in the occupa onal categories from which they plan to hire.
The occupa onal categories encompass a wide variety of individual occupa ons in which workers in the
Laborshed area are employed.  In some cases,
workers willing to change posi ons may be Figure 16
employed in jobs that do not maximize all of Occupa onal Categories by Gender
their available skills and work experiences.
Employees may possess talents that go Occupa ti ona l Ca tegory Ma l e Fema l e
unu lized or unrecognized by their current Ma na geri a l /Admi ni s tra ti ve 44.4% 55.6%
employer.  Employers tapping into this resource Profes s i ona l , Pa ra profes s i ona l & Techni ca l 31.3% 68.7%
may be effec ve in a rac ng employees to Sa l es 33.3% 66.7%
different posi ons or increasing their value to Cleri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 0.0% 100%
the company.  For a list of current or previous Servi ce 33.3% 66.7%
occupa onal tles and experiences in the Agri cul ture * *
Hamilton County Laborshed area, contact Producti on, Cons tructi on, Opera ti ng,
Hamilton County S.E.E.D. or Webster City 93.8% 6.2%
Ma i ntena nce & Ma teri a l Ha ndli ng
Economic Development.    * Insufficient survey data/refused


Employers may be aided in their recrui ng efforts by being able to iden fy the respondents by their occupa on
and area of residence.  Figure 17 illustrates the percentage of respondents in each occupa onal category
within each Laborshed zone.
Figure 17 The figure shows that the
Occupa onal Categories Across the Zones occupa onal experiences are
Zone 1     Zone 2     Zone 3     generally spread across the survey
Occupa ti onal Category
% of Zone % of Zone % of Zone zones, but the outlying zones have a
Mana geri a l /Admi ni s trati ve 55.6% 11.1% 33.3% substan al effect on a community’s  in
Profes s i ona l , Para profes s i ona l & Techni cal 25.0% 37.5% 37.5% ‐commute, thus affec ng many
Sal es 50.0% 50.0% 0.0% economic factors.  For the most part,
Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 62.5% 25.0% 12.5% employers looking to fill posi ons
Servi ce 66.7% 16.7% 16.6% within these occupa onal categories
Agri cul ture * * * may want to expand their recruitment
Producti on, Cons tructi on, Opera ti ng, efforts to include communi es
37.5% 37.5% 25.0% surrounding Webster City.
Equals 100% acro ss the zo nes

Figure 18
Desired Occupa onal Categories Within the Zones
Figure 18 details the occupa onal Zone 1     Zone 2     Zone 3
Des i red Occupa ti onal Category
categories the residents would % of Zone % of Zone % of Zone
consider seeking employment by Manageri a l /Admi ni s tra ti ve * * *
survey zone of residence.  This Profes s i onal , Pa raprofes s i onal & Techni cal 43.5% 41.7% 50.0%
informa on can provide businesses, Sal es 4.3% 0.0% 25.0%
community developers and leaders a Cl eri ca l /Admi ni s tra ti ve Support 21.8% 25.0% 25.0%
“snapshot” for future community Servi ce 4.3% 8.3% 0.0%
growth. Agri cul ture * * *
Producti on, Cons tructi on, Operati ng,
26.1% 25.0% 0.0%
Mai ntenance & Materi al Handl i ng
Equals 100% within the zo ne

As Figure 18 notes, those who are employed within the Hamilton County Laborshed area who are willing to
change employment are looking for a wide variety of employment opportuni es.  However, the majority of
those who reside in Zone 1 (Webster City) are looking for posi ons within the professional, paraprofessional &
technical occupa onal category (approximately 662 people).  Those who reside in Zone 2 and Zone 3 are also
primarily looking for posi ons within the professional, paraprofessional & technical occupa onal category
(approximately 3,185 people in Zone 2 and 747 people in Zone 3).  Projec ons are based on zone totals
obtained from Figure 11.
W R
Figure 19 provides data concerning the employed respondents’ current median wages and salaries, by their
likeliness to change employment.  Addi onal data from the survey can be analyzed to provide businesses a
benchmark for determining wage rates in the Laborshed area.  The actual wage levels required by prospec ve
workers will vary between individuals, occupa onal categories, industries and economic cycles.  Over two‐
thirds (68.9%) are hourly wage earners.
Figure 19
Comparison of Current Wage Data
Current Medi a n Thos e Li kel y Thos e Unl i kel y
Al l Empl oyed
Wa ge/Sa l a ry to Cha nge to Cha nge
Hourl y Wa ge $            14.00 $            14.15 $                14.00
Yea rl y Sa l a ry $          55,250 $          56,000 $              55,250


As Figure 19, on the previous page, shows that there is not much disparity between the median hourly wages
and median annual salaries of respondents likely to change employment and those content with their current
posi on.  This is not reflec ve of the region, in most cases the median hourly wages and annual salaries of
those content with their current posi on are greater than those of respondents likely to change employment.
Those who changed jobs in the past year cited employer layoff/reloca on (29.4%), be er wages (11.8%),
personality conflicts with former employer/coworkers (11.8%), respondent moved (11.8%) and scheduling
conflicts (11.8%) as the primary reasons for change.
Figure 20 reflects those who are currently employed willing to change and the es mated wage range required
to a ract 66 percent to 75 percent of the  hourly wage applicants by industry.  The wage threshold of all
employed residents who are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to change employment is es mated to be
$15.18 to $18.00 per hour regardless of industry.  Salaried employees willing to change employment have a
threshold of $58,800 to $62,500 per year.
Figure 20
Wage Threshold by Industry
Wa ge Thres hol d
Indus try Non Sa l a ry
(per hour)
Agri cul ture *
Cons tructi on $21.00 ‐ $25.50
Ma nufa cturi ng $21.20 ‐ $25.25
Tra ns porta ti on, Communi ca ti on & Uti l i ti es *
Whol es a l e & Reta i l Tra de $10.00 ‐ $13.00
Fi na nce, Ins ura nce, Rea l Es ta te & Profes s i ona l *
Hea l thca re & Soci a l Servi ces $24.72 ‐ $27.50
Enterta i nment, Recrea ti on & Pers ona l Servi ces *
Government & Publ i c Admi ni s tra ti on *
Educa ti on $19.24 ‐ $20.25

Another comparison to consider is the employed respondents’ lowest wages considered based on gender.
Figure 21 provides the lowest wages considered between the genders.
Figure 21
Comparison of Lowest Wages Considered by Gender
Lowes t Medi a n Wa ge/Sa l a ry
Ma l e Fema l e
Cons i dered
Lowes t Medi a n Hourl y Wa ge $       16.00 $       11.25
Lowes t Medi a n Yea rl y Sa l a ry $     60,000 $     45,000

In many Laborshed areas, there is a discrepancy between the lowest wages considered of males and females.
This holds true in the Hamilton County Laborshed area when looking at hourly wage rates of those who are
willing to change employment without regard to specific industry.  The lowest median hourly wage that
females would consider is 29.7 percent less than that of males.  Likewise, the median salary females would
consider is 25.0 percent less than that of males.  Some of the disparity may be explained by the differences in
the occupa onal and industrial categories of the respondents, nevertheless discrepancies s ll exist.


E B
The survey provides the respondents an opportunity to iden fy employment benefits that would influence
their decision to change employment.  Desired benefits are shown in Figure 22.  For some respondents,
benefits offered in lieu of higher wages can be the driving force to change employment.  Some respondents
assume that par cular benefits, such as health/medical insurance, would be incorporated into most standard
employment packages; therefore, they did not select health/medical as an influen al benefit op on.
Figure 22
Benefits Desired by Respondents
Health/Medical Insurance 83.3%
Dental Coverage 50.0%
Pension/Retirement Options 46.7%
Paid Vacation 45.0%
Vision Coverage 43.3%
Life Insurance 26.7%
Paid Holidays 26.7%
Paid Sick Leave 26.7%
20.0% Prescription Drug Coverage
18.3% Disability Insurance
3.3% Paid Time Off
3.3% Tuition Assistance/Reimbursement
1.7% Flextime
1.7% Incentive Reward Programs

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

When contempla ng a change in employment, over one‐fourth (26.0%) of those surveyed would prefer to look
for offers where the employer covers all the premium costs of health/medical insurance while the majority
(72.0%) would be willing to cost share the premium for health/medical insurance with their employer.  Over
four‐fi hs (85.7%) of those who are employed willing to change state they are currently sharing the premium
costs of health/medical insurance with their employer and 7.1 percent indicate their employer is covering the
en re cost of health/medical insurance.  When it comes to considering influen al benefit op ons to
employment offers, there is a difference between those who currently share in the costs of medical insurance
premiums to that of those who desire cost sharing of medical insurance premiums.  This leads to the belief that
cost sharing versus employer paid would influence the employed to change posi ons or companies.
F A W
The Laborshed area residents are very recep ve to various work environments.  Most respondents (75.4%)
would prefer to work in an environment that offers cross‐training opportuni es, training to do more than one
job; 70.5 percent are willing to work in team environments, groups of individuals coming together to
accomplish a common goal; and nearly two‐fi hs (39.3%) would consider job sharing work arrangements,
involving two or more individuals spli ng one full‐ me job.  As such arrangements become more common in
the workplace; more and more employees are expressing greater interest.  Employment opportuni es that
require a variety of work schedules (combina ons of 2nd, 3rd or split shi s) would pique the interest of 42.6
percent of the employed that are willing to change employment.
J S T
Employers who have a clear understanding of the job search resources used by workers will improve their
ability to maximize their effec veness and efficiency in a rac ng qualified applicants.  Residents living in the
Hamilton County Laborshed area are undoubtedly exposed to numerous sources by which employers
communicate job openings and new hiring.  Therefore, it is important to understand what sources poten al
workers rely on when looking for jobs.  The most frequently iden fied job search resources are iden fied in
Figure 23 (next page).


Those u lizing the local newspaper tend to seek Figure 23
employment opportuni es by searching in their hometown Job Search Media Used
news publica on.  The most popular local/regional 90%

81.0%
newspaper sources include The Messenger ‐ Fort Dodge,
Daily Freeman‐Journal ‐ Webster City and The Des Moines
Register.  The internet is host to many sources for 80%

Internet
employment opportuni es, the most commonly used sites
to look for employment opportuni es in the Hamilton
70%
County Laborshed are www.monster.com and
www.iowajobs.org.  The type of industry the individual is

22.4% Local IowaWORKS Centers
seeking to be employed may determine the sources used.   60%
Businesses wan ng more detailed adver sing sources may

44.8%
contact Hamilton County S.E.E.D. or Webster City Economic
50%

1.7% Walk-In (Door-to-Door) Solicitation
1.7% College/University Career Centers
Development.  Understanding and u lizing tradi onal and

13.8% Regional Newspapers
22.4% Networking
non‐tradi onal adver sing media will provide employers a

1.7% Private Employment Services
Local Newspapers
more focused and effec ve recruitment tool. 40%
C

1.7% Trade Publications
30%

1.7% Job/Career Fairs
Commu ng data collected by the Laborshed survey assists
developers and employers in understanding how employed
residents, willing to change employment, can/could 20%

1.7% Radio
commute within/out of the area.  Overall, the employed
willing to change would commute an average of 26 miles
one way for employment opportuni es.  Those who live in 10%
Zone 1 are willing to commute an average of 29 miles one
way, while residents in Zone 2 are willing to commute an 0%
average of 21 miles one way and Zone 3 residents are
willing to commute an average of 25 miles one way for the
right employment opportunity.  To provide a comparison, those employed willing to change are currently
commu ng 10 miles one way and those currently employed but not willing to change, commute an average of
8 miles one way to work.
Where individuals live within the Laborshed will influence their desire to commute to the node community.
The node community may be the largest economic center for many of the smaller communi es in the area.
Individuals from the surrounding communi es seeking job opportuni es and compe ve wages/benefits may
be resigned to the fact that they will have to commute some distance to a new employer.  In these cases, the
willingness of the Zone 2 and 3 respondents to commute a substan al distance increases the likelihood that
they may be interested in commu ng (or interested in con nuing to commute) to the node community.
However, the willingness of Zone 1 residents to commute represents a poten al out commute from the node
community.  This point illustrates the influence of surrounding labor on the individual Laborsheds ‐ poten ally
drawing workers out of the node (see Labor Market Areas in Region map).


O C
The out commute of a community represents the percentage of residents living in the node community
(Webster City), but working for employers located in other communi es.  The out commute for Webster City is
es mated at 20.2 percent – approximately 513 people living in Webster City who work in other communi es.
Most of those who are out commu ng are working in Fort Dodge, Ames or Williams.  Of those who are
commu ng to other communi es for employment opportuni es, 26.3 percent are willing to change
employment (approximately 135 people) if presented with the right employment offer.  The calcula ons for
poten al available labor are based on adjusted labor force zone totals obtained from Figure 11.
As a group, they are primarily employed within the produc on, construc on & material handling; professional,
paraprofessional & technical; or managerial occupa onal categories.  They are primarily working within the
manufacturing; wholesale & retail trade; educa on; public administra on & government industries.
For those who out commute, 63.2 percent have educa on/technical training beyond high school, 5.3 percent
have an associate degree and 42.1 percent have an undergraduate degree.  Areas of emphasis include medical
studies, science/mathema cs, agricultural studies, business administra ve support, educa on, general/liberal
arts studies, informa on technology, social sciences and voca onal trades.
Over three‐fi hs (63.2%) of those who are commu ng out of Webster City for employment are hourly wage
employees whose current median wage is $13.50 per hour.  Salaried employees (36.8%) have a median income
of $75,000 per year.
Out commuters are currently commu ng an average of 35 miles one way to work and are willing to commute
36 miles one way for a “new opportunity”.  Nearly three‐fi hs (57.9%) of out commuters are male.  The
average age of out commuters is 49; however, over two‐fi hs (42.1%) are between the ages of 55 and 64.

Figure 24
Out Commuters by Place of Employment
MITCHELL

Area Shown Legend
Britt
LAY
PALO ALTO £
¤
18
KOSSUTH
HANCOCK CERRO GORDO
_
^ Webster City
FLOYD

Interstates

4-Lane Highways

US Highways

£
¤169
HUMBOLDT Goldfield
§
¦
¨
35
State Highways
UENA VISTA Iowa County
POCAHONTAS
WRIGHT Clarion FRANKLIN BUTLER

Eagle Grove

Fort Dodge
Webster City Williams

WEBSTER £
¤20 _
^
CALHOUN GRUNDY
HAMILTON HARDIN
SAC

£
¤ 65
Hubbard
Stratford

Story City
Out Commute Concentration
by Place of Employment (per ZIP Code)
£
¤69 Roland

TAMA
0.1% - 5.3% GREENE

£
¤
CARROLL BOONE
Ralston STORY MARSHALL
30
5.4% - 10.5% AmesAmes Nevada

10.6% - 21.1% 10 Mile Interval Between Rings


E U
Underemployment is a recent point of interest in popular literature, but has actually been an issue studied and
addressed by economists for nearly 20 years.  While there is no one widely accepted defini on of
underemployment, for the purpose of this Laborshed study, underemployment is defined in the following
three ways:
1. Inadequate hours worked ‐ individuals working less than 35 hours per week and desiring more hours.
2. Mismatch of skills ‐ workers are denoted as “mismatched” if their completed years of educa on are
above the number needed for their current occupa onal group, they have significant technical
skills beyond those currently being u lized or if they have held previous jobs with a higher wage or
salary.
3. Low income ‐ individuals working full‐ me but at wages insufficient enough to keep them above the
poverty level.
Each of these categories of underemployment can be very difficult to es mate; however, it appears as though
elements of each of these categories exist in this Laborshed area.
U D I H W
In order to assess the impact of underemployment by inadequate hours worked in the Laborshed area, we
refer to tabula ons of the employed willing to change employment working 34 hours or less from the survey
responses.  The survey data shows that underemployment due to inadequate hours is es mated to be 1.2
percent within the Laborshed area (Figure 25).
Figure 25
Underemployed ‐ Inadequate Hours Worked
Percent Underempl oyed Es timated Underempl oyed
Low Hours Des i ri ng More Hours
1.2% 128

The calcula on for es mated underemployed desiring more hours is based on the Es mated Number of
Employed Willing to Change 10,652 projec ons found in Figure 11.
Four‐fi hs (80.0%) of those who are considered to be underemployed due to low hours in the Hamilton County
Laborshed are female.  Those who are underemployed due to inadequate hours have an average age of 39
years old.
Addi onally, those who are underemployed due to inadequate hours are currently employed within the sales;
managerial; produc on, construc on & material handling; and professional, paraprofessional & technical
occupa onal categories and are currently seeking employment opportuni es within the professional,
paraprofessional & technical or produc on, construc on & material handling occupa onal categories.  This
group is willing to commute an average of 18 miles one way for the right employment opportunity.  Four‐fi hs
(80.0%) of the respondents who are underemployed due to inadequate hours have an educa on beyond high
school.  Businesses may want to look inside their own organiza ons for poten al candidates when looking to
fill openings requiring full‐ me employment status.
U D M S
Underemployment may also be calculated by examining individuals that are employed in posi ons that do not
maximize their previous experience, skills and educa on or that do not adequately compensate them based on
their qualifica ons.  IWD’s Laborshed survey of the region a empts to provide the best es mate of this
“mismatch” of skills by asking respondents if they believe that they are underemployed and if so, why.
Respondents first answered the ques on, “Are you qualified for a be er job?”  Individuals answering “yes” are
then asked to classify why they are qualified based on categories rela ng to previously held jobs that required
more skill and educa on, acquiring addi onal job training and educa on at their current job, current job does
not require their level of training or educa on and greater pay at a previous job.  Respondents selected all
descriptors that applied to their situa on.
The choices provided on the survey are not an exhaus ve list of explana ons of why the respondent is
overqualified, but a collec on of the most likely responses based on prior surveys and research.


2013 Hamilton County Iowa Laborshed Report

2013 Hamilton County Iowa Laborshed Report

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2013 Hamilton County Iowa Laborshed Report