Income and Employment:
Household Incomes in Jefferson County are slight less than the State’s $32,182 median household income. Jefferson County’s estimated median household income, based on the 2000 Census information, was $31,327.
The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County area’s average unemployment rate in 2000 was 6.0% as compared to the State’s unemployment rate of 4.2%. The County’s higher rate of unemployment reflects its Arkansas Delta economy more than a Central Arkansas economy. In general, Delta Counties of Arkansas experience a higher rate of unemployment than the State as a whole. The total average monthly non-agriculture employment for the County was 36,200. The County’s economy is diversified in terms of employment in the various employment categories; 23.4% of those employed in 2000 worked in the manufacturing sector, 23.1% were employed in the service sector, and 22.2.% in the government sector.
The five largest employers in the County are Tyson Foods, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas Department of Correction, and International Paper Company.