{"schema_version": 1, "id": "yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 458, "label": "Yuba City, CA MSA", "slug": "yuba-city-ca-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:44:33.649495+00:00", "headline": "Yuba City's jobless rate lags the state, but postings stay strong.", "headline_summary": "Yuba and Sutter counties posted August unemployment of 6.7% and 7.4% against California's 5.1%, even as 13,559 local job postings and a moderate rise in Registered Nurse pay to $133,064 point to uneven, not uniformly weak, local demand.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Yuba County unemployment", "value": "6.7%", "context": "vs 5.1% CA, 4.1% US (Aug 2026)"}, {"label": "Sutter County unemployment", "value": "7.4%", "context": "Highest of metro's two counties"}, {"label": "Local job postings", "value": "13,559", "context": "Yuba City, early Sept 2026"}, {"label": "Agriculture location quotient", "value": "8.03", "context": "Measures regional sector concentration"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Unemployment gap with the state is the story, not the trend.", "body": "Yuba (6.7%) and Sutter (7.4%) counties ran well above California's 5.1% and the nation's 4.1% in August, a persistent structural gap tied to agricultural seasonality rather than a new deterioration. Government economists should treat this spread as a baseline feature of the metro, not a fresh warning signal."}, {"headline": "Health care keeps carrying the local employment base.", "body": "With 8,503 workers, health care and social assistance is the metro's largest sector and tracks the statewide pattern of health/social assistance gains offsetting finance and information losses. Registered Nurse advertised pay rose moderately to a metro median of $133,064, well above the $102,581 national figure, consistent with sustained local demand for care capacity."}, {"headline": "Agriculture's outsized footprint cuts both ways for stability.", "body": "A location quotient of 8.03 makes agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting a defining feature of the local economy, with 5,966 workers tied to a sector exposed to weather, trade policy, and seasonal labor supply. Commerce leaders evaluating diversification efforts should weigh this concentration against the relative resilience of health care and public-sector employment."}, {"headline": "Posted openings outpace what headline unemployment implies.", "body": "13,559 job postings against elevated county jobless rates points to mismatch \u2014 geographic, seasonal, or skills-based \u2014 rather than a simple shortage of demand. This distinction matters for economic development messaging, since a market with open postings and high unemployment reads differently to site-selection decision-makers than one with genuine labor scarcity."}], "local_conditions": "Yuba City's county-level unemployment held well above state and national averages in August, with Yuba County at 6.7% and Sutter County at 7.4%, reflecting the metro's structural concentration in seasonal agriculture, which carries a location quotient of 8.03. Health care and social assistance remains the metro's largest employment base at 8,503 workers, providing a counterweight of stability as statewide finance and information-sector contraction bypasses this smaller, agriculture-and-services-anchored economy.", "implications": "Elevated local joblessness alongside a still-sizable 13,559 posted openings suggests a labor market with real friction rather than simple weakness \u2014 skills or seasonal mismatches, not an absence of demand, appear to be the constraint. For commerce leaders weighing local investment, the divergence between advertised wage gains in health care, logistics, and skilled trades and the metro's high headline unemployment rate points to a bifurcated recovery rather than broad-based softness. Current conditions suggest monitoring sector-specific postings data rather than the county unemployment rate alone when assessing whether the local business climate is genuinely strengthening or merely holding steady.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Data release to watch", "body": "September BLS metro-level unemployment and payroll figures for Yuba City have not yet posted; the next official release will clarify whether August's county-level softness persisted or reflected a seasonal agricultural dip."}, {"category": "Policy variable", "body": "California's minimum wage rises to $17.40 statewide on January 1, 2027, which will interact with the metro's already-above-national pay levels for retail and food service roles; commerce leaders should track how this shifts relative labor costs against neighboring Central Valley counties."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Statewide financial activities and professional/business services contraction has not yet shown up as a distinct Yuba City trend, but any slowdown in Sacramento-area commuting employment could ripple into this metro's labor force participation given its proximity."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "No WARN notices or major layoff announcements have surfaced locally this period, a contrast with statewide activity from Meta, Amazon, and Verizon; continued absence of local WARN filings would reinforce the metro's relative insulation from large-employer volatility."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32001.0, "metro_p50": 36452.0, "metro_p75": 37752.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32957.0, "metro_p50": 37083.0, "metro_p75": 39416.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38948.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 42120.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60035.0, "metro_p50": 81614.0, "metro_p75": 91260.0, "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": 34819.5, "metro_p50": 37994.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 37265.0, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 48880.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 66631.0, "metro_p50": 76966.0, "metro_p75": 80640.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35360.0, "metro_p50": 40560.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36400.0, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 44720.0, "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": "metro", "metro_p25": 41496.0, "metro_p50": 42391.0, "metro_p75": 45704.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 42120.0, "metro_p50": 50440.0, "metro_p75": 57068.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37947.25, "metro_p50": 45448.0, "metro_p75": 49724.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 67515.25, "metro_p50": 78000.0, "metro_p75": 81120.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 112216.0, "metro_p50": 133064.0, "metro_p75": 143451.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 126000.0, "metro_p50": 170603.4, "metro_p75": 191142.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 105880.0, "metro_p50": 145419.0, "metro_p75": 162070.0, "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": 64513.0, "metro_p50": 73594.2, "metro_p75": 83125.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 85594.5, "metro_p50": 128905.6, "metro_p75": 142285.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 63900.0, "metro_p50": 81560.0, "metro_p75": 90000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 49779.0, "metro_p50": 69611.0, "metro_p75": 79474.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 80000.0, "metro_p50": 106039.0, "metro_p75": 130500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 64080.5, "metro_p50": 81801.8, "metro_p75": 93600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 68603.75, "metro_p50": 99853.6, "metro_p75": 123117.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 60099.75, "metro_p50": 89500.0, "metro_p75": 100625.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 79267.0, "metro_p50": 79267.0, "metro_p75": 79267.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 65386.5, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 107333.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 40400.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 62096.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 52050.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 53040.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 94441.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 95802.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 37875.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 74311.5, "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": "yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:38:19.817968+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/yuba-city-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}