{"schema_version": 1, "id": "logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 277, "label": "Logan, UT-ID MSA", "slug": "logan-ut-id-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:40:58.156617+00:00", "headline": "Logan holds 3.1% unemployment while government payrolls shrink.", "headline_summary": "Cache County's 3.1% unemployment rate \u2014 tied for lowest in Utah \u2014 coexists with an 11.3% August drop in Local Government employment, a split that commerce leaders and policy economists should watch closely.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Cache County unemployment rate", "value": "3.1%", "context": "vs 3.5% Utah, 4.1% national"}, {"label": "Local Government employment change", "value": "-11.3%", "context": "August 2026, Logan MSA, YoY"}, {"label": "Professional/Business Services growth", "value": "+5.5%", "context": "August 2026, Logan MSA"}, {"label": "Cache County avg weekly wage", "value": "$1,054", "context": "Q1 2026, below Utah state average"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Government contraction stands out against broader metro tightness.", "body": "Local Government employment fell 11.3% in August against a backdrop of 3.1% unemployment, consistent with the $12.7M northern Utah budget shortfall cited statewide. A metro this tight on labor rarely shows public-sector payroll losses this steep, making it a genuine outlier worth monitoring for municipal budget planning."}, {"headline": "Professional services and hospitality are doing the metro's heavy lifting.", "body": "Professional/Business Services grew 5.5% and Leisure/Hospitality 6.9% in August, mirroring the statewide pattern where professional services led job gains (+8,500 statewide YTD). Logan's growth is concentrated rather than broad-based, a distinction that matters for anyone reading one tight unemployment number as uniform strength."}, {"headline": "Transportation and warehousing softness may reflect a national divergence.", "body": "Logan's 8.3% decline in Transportation/Warehousing employment lines up with a national freight and logistics sector that has shown pockets of softness even as CDL driver advertised pay locally rose moderately to $84,525. The combination \u2014 fewer positions, firmer pay for the roles that remain \u2014 is consistent with a sector consolidating rather than expanding."}, {"headline": "Wage data diverges by geography more than by occupation.", "body": "Cache County's $1,054 average weekly wage trails the statewide figure, while county-level Utah wage growth ranges from 1.2% to 4.8% depending on location, underscoring that Logan's wage story cannot be read off state or national headlines. Local purchasing-power assessments should rely on county-specific figures, not statewide averages."}], "local_conditions": "Cache County's 3.1% unemployment rate continues to run well below both the Utah (3.5%) and national (4.1%) rates, even as the Logan MSA's total nonfarm employment held flat at 69.5 thousand in August, masking sharp divergence underneath \u2014 Leisure/Hospitality up 6.9% and Professional/Business Services up 5.5%, against an 11.3% contraction in Local Government and an 8.3% drop in Transportation/Warehousing. That split, layered onto a statewide pattern of flat labor force growth despite low joblessness, suggests a metro economy still tight on labor supply but increasingly selective about where growth is concentrated.", "implications": "Local Government's double-digit contraction, consistent with the $12.7M northern Utah budget shortfall and federal civilian reductions noted statewide, signals that public-sector payroll stability \u2014 a traditional anchor for metro consumer spending \u2014 is weakening at the same time private services sectors expand. For commerce leaders and economic development planners, a metro running near full employment while government payrolls shrink points to private services and hospitality as the active growth engines worth tracking for investment and site-selection signals. Consider evaluating how Logan's sector mix \u2014 manufacturing concentration alongside expanding professional services \u2014 positions the metro relative to statewide trends when making local investment or expansion assessments.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Local Government payroll contraction (-11.3% in August) tied to a documented northern Utah budget shortfall bears watching for further municipal service or public-sector payroll effects over the next two months."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Utah's labor force growth has gone flat even as unemployment stays low \u2014 a pattern that, if it persists in Cache County, could cap the metro's capacity to support continued Professional/Business Services and hospitality expansion."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National wage growth has slipped to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation \u2014 the first real-wage erosion signal in two years. Whether Cache County's wage trends (currently mixed by sector) follow this national drift is a key test for local consumer spending durability."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "National WARN activity shows elevated layoffs at large employers (Amazon, Meta, Verizon, among others) even as Utah's WARN notices actually declined 11% year over year. Divergence between national headline layoff anxiety and Utah's comparatively stable filings is worth tracking as a local economic resilience marker."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24135.0, "metro_p50": 28600.0, "metro_p75": 32117.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24419.25, "metro_p50": 29307.0, "metro_p75": 31200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31678.0, "metro_p50": 36409.0, "metro_p75": 39520.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62252.0, "metro_p50": 84525.0, "metro_p75": 91177.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29228.0, "metro_p50": 31946.0, "metro_p75": 33299.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36756.0, "metro_p50": 43264.0, "metro_p75": 43264.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58640.0, "metro_p50": 73359.0, "metro_p75": 73359.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33292.0, "metro_p50": 37648.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 42409.0, "metro_p75": 44776.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 29276.5, "metro_p50": 34091.0, "metro_p75": 37393.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32240.0, "metro_p50": 36413.6, "metro_p75": 42344.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33278.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 44720.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62400.0, "metro_p50": 62400.0, "metro_p75": 63085.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 74880.0, "metro_p50": 90537.8, "metro_p75": 95017.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 49970.0, "metro_p50": 101026.0, "metro_p75": 124964.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 99248.0, "metro_p50": 143184.0, "metro_p75": 159248.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54482.0, "metro_p50": 61080.2, "metro_p75": 68731.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 71895.0, "metro_p50": 92500.0, "metro_p75": 101668.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 40491.0, "metro_p50": 75000.0, "metro_p75": 83660.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48800.5, "metro_p50": 57855.0, "metro_p75": 60000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 72997.0, "metro_p50": 82973.6, "metro_p75": 95108.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31574.25, "metro_p50": 49980.2, "metro_p75": 68149.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 57019.0, "metro_p50": 82357.4, "metro_p75": 88583.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 46118.0, "metro_p50": 54301.2, "metro_p75": 55000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 76257.0, "metro_p50": 83244.0, "metro_p75": 83244.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 46800.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 47112.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 35737.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 66346.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 75906.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 43680.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 52000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 43243.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 29816.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66994.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:32:22.049080+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/logan-ut-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}