Orange County enjoys a diverse economy, with economic output and employment well-distributed among sectors:
• After shrinking from mid-2009 to early-2010, Orange County’s total civilian labor force has mostly remained above 1.6 million throughout the remainder of 2010, similar to the size of the labor pool from 2006 through mid-2009.
• Non-farm industry accounts for 99.8% of the total labor force.
• As of December 2010, the largest labor markets included Trade, Transportation and Utilities (18%), Professional and
Business Services (18%), and Leisure and Hospitality (13%).
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Small businesses flourish in Orange County’s entrepreneurial climate:
• In 2009, fewer Orange County residents worked in large firms of 500+ employees (15%) than the statewide average (21%).
• Larger firms witnessed the most significant employment losses between 2004 and 2009 (-33% among firms with 500+
employees).
• At the same time, small firms with fewer than 20 employees only witnessed a 2% decline in employment.
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Orange County’s unemployment rate remains below state and national averages:
• Unemployment in the last half of 2010 improved slightly from earlier in the year, finishing at 8.9% in December 2010 (not
seasonally adjusted).
• While this rate is historically quite high for Orange County, it remains below the state average for December 2010 (12.5%)
and on par with the national average (9.1%).
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