Nearly 100 La Mesans Work in Farming, Mining and Quarrying, Survey Says

La Mesa had about 28 people working in mining and quarrying the last time the government checked.  And agriculture? An estimated 66 La Mesans were employed in hunting, fishing or forestry.

The U.S. Census Bureau provides a rich trove of information about the Jewel of the Hills in the every-decade census and the annual American Community Survey, last updated three months ago.

The Census Bureau on Oct. 27, 2011, released what it calls the “2008-2010 ACS 3-year estimates.” Many questions are asked—including who works in what industry here.

La Mesa Patch today launches a regular feature on who we are and what we do. We call it LA MESA BY THE NUMBERS, and we’ll dive deep into our civic fabric.

The La Mesa industry portion of the American Community Survey (attached) also reveals median wages by job category, and looks at differences between men and women in what they make.

For example, more La Mesans work in health care and social assistance—3,609—than in the No. 2 category: retail trade (3,006). 

The No. 3 and No. 4 employment subcategories are  professional, scientific and technical services (2,798) and educational services (2,598).  No. 5 was public administration (2,511). All numbers are estimates, since not every resident was contacted.

In the latest federal snapshot of La Mesa employment, 28,031 residents 16 and over were working—a little under half of the city’s population of 58,000-plus.  The city’s median annual income was $32,337—with men earning a median $35,575 and women $29,784.

But a greater share of La Mesa’s working population was female—51.7 percent to 48.3 percent for men, according to the survey.

La Mesans who worked for utilities had the highest median pay by category—an estimated $92,917.

The lowest-paid category?

Residents who worked in agriculture made $13,750 as an estimated median annual wage.

An estimated 768 La Mesans in 2010 worked in arts, entertainment and recreation—at a median annual pay of $21,768.

The American Community collects and produces population and housing information every year instead of every ten years, says its website.

“Collecting data every year provides more up-to-date information throughout the decade about the U.S. population at the local community level,” the government says. “About 3 million housing unit addresses are selected annually, across every county in the nation.”

Have a question about La Mesa you’d like see addressed?  Send a note to ken.stone@patch.com.