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Monterey County Economic Overview
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Over the past five years, Monterey County's economic growth has roughly kept pace with that of the rest of California and the U.S. In recent years, it has even exceeded U.S. averages. This is a remarkable achievement, given that the County's economy is disproportionately weighted by an industry typically characterized by slow growth: agriculture. Of the County's total output, agriculture represents 17%, compared with 2% for the country as a whole.
The good news is that the County's agriculture sector is among the most productive in the world.
| Relative Agricultural Productivity |
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Average Agricultural Output per Employee |
| Monterey County |
$183,331 |
| United States |
$43,177 |
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| (Monterey County: DRI-WEFA; United States: Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
The extent of this extraordinary productivity is due to a number of factors: (1) the County produces higher-value agricultural products (wine grapes and vegetables command higher prices on the world's commodity markets than grains or soybeans); (2) the County's larger producers have increasingly shifted to higher-value added products like pre-cut, bagged lettuce, mini carrots and dehydrated fruits and vegetables. By applying innovations in processing and packaging, the sector has captured new markets and raised revenues significantly (Economic Competitiveness Group, Monterey County Business & Workforce Assessment, Executive Summary, page 2).
What follows is a summary of key economic sectors and trends that are effecting economic development in Monterey County. The Monterey County economy is built around a $2.8 billion dollar agricultural sector and a $1.76 billion dollar tourism sector. The farm, food manufacturing and leisure/hospitality industries accounted for almost 40% (Compiled from information developed by the CA Employment Development Department and the MCCVB FY03 Annual Work Plan) of all jobs in Monterey County during 2002.
Follow the links on the left navigation to subpages in this section to learn more about specific aspects of the County's economy.
Other sources of information are listed in the New Markets subpage of the Business Resources section of this Web site.
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Sources for County Profiles |
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AMBAG Census Web Site
The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) Census Web Site is the U.S. Census Data Center for Monterey, San Benito & Santa Cruz counties. AMBAG has prepared 1-2 page demographic profiles of each County and all cities within the three counties based on the 2000 census.
Monterey County Profile by CA DoF
The California County Profiles, updated annually by the California Department of Finance, is a compilation of selected economic, social, and demographic data for California and its 58 counties. This statistical snapshot includes general economic information including housing prices, school enrollment and population statistics. The CA DoF also prepares a variety of projections including annual population estimates and ethnic components of population for cities and counties within California.
Monterey County Snapshot by LMID
County Snapshots provide a labor force profile of California counties and highlight employment trends & growth, published by the Labor Market Information Division (LMID) of the California Employment Development Department (EDD).
Monterey County Profile by CICG
The California County Fact Book 2003 is a 176 page publication produced by California Institute for County Government (CICG) in conjunction with the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). County Profiles include general demographic, environmental, public finance and social services statistics.
American FactFinder
U.S. Census Bureau's American FactFinder (AFF), the official source for Census information. Users can use the system to request specific data elements.
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