The Sacramento region gained nearly 50,000 jobs in 2022. See the fastest-growing industries

The Sacramento region added nearly 50,000 jobs last year, led by strong job growth in the restaurant, health care and arts industries, according to the latest, preliminary data from California’s Employment Development Department.

Average monthly employment in the four-county area rose from about 1 million in 2021 to about 1.1 million in 2022. The average monthly unemployment rate fell from 6.4% to 3.6%. Those figures include full-time and part-time workers.

Some of the strongest gains came in the restaurant and hotel industry. That job sector added about 8,400 jobs, for a growth rate of 11%.

The latest figures represent a revival of sorts: The restaurant and hotel industry was pummeled during COVID-19 lockdowns. Even with the sharp gains of 2022, fewer people were employed in hotels and restaurants than during 2019, the year before the pandemic.

Most workers in the restaurant and hotel industries don’t earn a lot. The median wage for food preparation and serving jobs in the Sacramento region was about $15.79 an hour in 2022, state data show. The median wage for hotel clerks and housekeepers was similar. (Management jobs in both industries pay more.) By comparison, the median hourly wage for all occupations in the Sacramento region was about $24.29.

The region’s health care industry continued to post strong job growth, stretching a years-long trend briefly interrupted by the pandemic.

The healthcare and social assistance industry added about 7,300 jobs in 2022, a 5% gain from 2021. Employment in the industry has doubled in the last 20 years, as Baby Boomers age and require more health care services.

Salaries in health care vary widely. The median wage for health care support occupations - home health aides, nursing assistants, and many others - was about $15.21 an hour in 2022, state data show. The median wage for health care practitioners - doctors, physical therapists, and many others - was about $52.30 an hour.

While not a huge driver of the region’s economy, the arts, entertainment and recreation sector showed the fastest growth in jobs last year. It added about 2,800 jobs, for a growth rate of 21%. Like the restaurant and hotel industry, arts and entertainment was stifled by pandemic lockdowns and, even with recent gains, the industry lags 2019 employment levels.

The government sector is Sacramento’s largest employer. It tends to grow slow and steady — and last year was no exception. It added about 5,600 jobs, for a growth rate of just under 2%. Municipal governments and special districts grew at a faster pace than the state government. Federal government employment was essentially unchanged.

Nearly all industries in the region showed some job growth. Lagging was the finance and insurance industry, where employment stayed flat amid a bad year for the stock market.

For its analysis, The Bee looked at a mix of unique job sectors and industries that comprised over 95% of the jobs in the Sacramento region. We used official annual monthly employment averages from the State Employment Development Department for figures covering 2002 through 2021. We calculated 2022 average monthly employment figures using preliminary monthly data for 2022. Final monthly data will be released by the state later this year.

This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.