Job Search Gold

Before you uproot and move to California to look for chemical engineering jobs, it might be helpful to have some basic economic information about this great state- hopefully, the facts contained herein will help you make your decision. To kick things off, here is a stat that I looked up the other day and it absolutely blew me away. California is responsible for 13% of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product- about 1.7 trillion dollars! California pays more into the Federal Treasury than it receives back in monetary benefits!

California’s export economy was worth over 130 billion dollars in 2007, with about 47 billion of those dollars being electronics and computers, helping solidify California’s reputation as a high-tech state. Also, foreign countries control over half a million of California’s workers, so our state has a lot invested in the global economy to be sure.

The five largest job sectors in California (from Wikipedia, statistics are from 2006) are:

• Trade- wholesale, retail, import/export, warehousing
• Government
• Professional and Business Services- management of companies; legal, scientific and technical services
• Education and Health
• Leisure and Hospitality- foodservice, tourism, arts, entertainment and recreation

Agriculture also makes up a large part of California’s economy. Agriculture and the farming industry represent 2% of California’s 1.55 trillion dollar gross state product. The state of California is the 5th largest supplier of food and agricultural commodities in the world, and the sum of the agricultural industry here is more than twice as large as that of any other state- what a great environment for chemist jobs

Now, let’s take a look at the state of the economy for the individual worker. Californian’s per capita income was the 11th highest in the nation at almost 39 thousand dollars. However, the wealth is not evenly distributed throughout the states’ residents- California contains some of both the most wealthy AND the most economically imperiled parts of the country. For every $100 a worker in this state earns, they pay about 10.66 in taxes, marginally higher than the national average of $10.43/$100. Housing is also not inexpensive, with median home prices ranging from 250k to 650k, and a state median home price of about $500,000. However, the real estate marked is currently declining due to the subprime mortgage fiasco currently ongoing nationwide. Unemployment in California is currently at about 5%.

Speaking of the workforce, there are currently over 36 million people living in California. It is the most populous state and is the 13th-fastest-growing state as well. California has a larger population than all but 34 world countries, and over 12% of the population of the United States lives within these borders! California also contains 8 of the countries’ 50 largest cities, with Los Angeles holding the number 2 spot, San Diego the 8th spot, and San Francisco the 14th spot. California has a diverse population as well- 57% of Californians are minorities.

California taxes personal income at a maximum rate of 9.3 percent, spread between 6 different tax brackets, for a total of about 40 billion dollars a year. State sales tax ranges from 7.25% in some areas to 8.75% in others, and the state takes in about $28 billion a year in sales tax. State property taxes bring in another $33 million a year.

Some of California’s more famous regions are home to chiropractor jobs and a few specialized industries, as well:

• Central Valley- Agriculture
• Hollywood- Entertainment
• Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley- Wine
• Silicon Valley/Tech Coast- Computers and High Tech
• Southern California- Aerospace