Labor Market
The availability of qualified workforce is important for the successful operation of any facility. Macon County provides access to a labor force of over 533,000 within a one hour drive of Decatur.
With over 20 educational and vocational institutions, millions invested in an Agriculture Academy, and closely located to the world renowned University of Illinois, it’s no surprise why Decatur was named top in the nation for Agriculture and BioScience employment and for a thriving Agricultural economy.
Our large presence of agricultural feedstock and industrial biosciences is why Business Facilities Magazine named us #1 in Agricultural Bioscience Employment. In 2020 SmartAsset ranked us the 4th best place to work in manufacturing for our low cost of living and high income opportunities.
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The Decatur and Macon County area has a variety of strong programs for workforce development, including 72 Agricultural Education & FFA Chapters in our region.
Some of our top programs include:
1) Richland Community College: EnRich Program and the Highway Construction Trade Program
2) Decatur Public Schools: Inspired Futures Internship Program
3) The Prep Academy with Decatur Public Schools and Richland Community College
5) The Dwayne O. Andreas Ag Academy
6) The Heartland Technical Academy
Specialized Labor
Macon County has comparatively strong availability of employment specialization in manufacturing and other targeted industries than competitive markets. Please see charts below.
