Nearly a year after B&H Butcher Block and Porter Road Meat Company located to Princeton, the city has seen other commercial development that has helped reduce the county’s unemployment rate to among the lowest in the Pennyrile.
Caldwell County’s May unemployment rate was 3.1% compared to 2.9% in April and 3.9% in May of 2021. Caldwell’s jobless rate is second-lowest in the Pennyrile and among the 20 lowest in the state.
Princeton Mayor Kota Young said if there were enough bodies to fill the available jobs, the rates would be even lower.
click to download audioWhile attracting new business and industry is important, Young also knows cities and counties have to take care of the people who have been in the community and provided jobs for years.
click to download audioU.S. Census estimates released last week showed 195 of the county’s 253 employer firms were located in Princeton and showed the city’s per capita retail sales at $26,910 compared to the state average of $14,430.
One estimate that surprised the mayor somewhat was the 25-minute average commute people in Princeton have to work. He thinks that will go down as estimates become more current.
click to download audioState estimates put Caldwell County’s civilian labor force at 5,983 in May compared to 5,667 in May 2020 and 5,415 in May 2018.
