Key Employment Clusters

The following table provides an accounting of the Pottawatomie county’s ventures including the number of ventures by sector and associated full-time equivalent employment.

Retail Trade nationally has undergone major changes as once-dominant locally owned retailers are now competing with externally owned big box stores and online sellers. A strong and diverse retail sector is important for capturing local spending and generating additional economic growth. Additionally, services for business, households, non-profits, and governmental agencies are increasingly important.

Pottawatomie County imports a large amount of Manufacturing labor (767 workers) and exports a large amount of Education & Healthcare labor (1,061 workers). Other industries in which Pottawatomie County imports labor include: Construction, Wholesale Trade, Natural Resources & Mining, and Utilities. Other industries in which Pottawatomie County exports labor include Administration, Support & Other Services, Arts, Accommodation & Food Services, Public Administration, Management & Professional Services, F.I.R.E., and Information.

The largest industries in the Manhattan MSA (Pottawatomie County, Riley County, and Geary County) by percentage of total employment are Education & Health Care (31.1%) followed by Retail Trade (11.9%), Leisure & Hospitality (11.4%), and Business & Professional Services (11.0%). Pottawatomie County dominates the region’s Manufacturing sector, with a percentage of total employment four times as high as the MSA (21.0% compared to 5.3%). Pottawatomie County also has a higher percentage of its total employment in the Construction and Wholesale Trade sectors compared to the MSA. The Manhattan MSA has a substantially high percentage of its total employment in the Leisure & Hospitality, Retail Trade, and Business & Professional Services sectors.