One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Entertainment industry jobs grew in 2024, but are down significantly over the past 5 years
Topline:
Total nonfarm jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metro area increased by 0.9% in the 12 months ending December 2024. That’s compared with an increase of 1.4% in the nation as a whole and an increase of 1% in the state of California, new data show.
Visual aide:
This report uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics accurate as of Feb. 5. The latest month of data available in the current release is December 2024.
(
American Public Media Research Lab
)
Other key findings: In the L.A. area, jobs in the film and music industries gained 3,300 jobs in 2024. But since 2019, employment in entertainment has fallen by more than 21%. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 1.7% in L.A. 2024 — up 5.3% since 2019.
Month-to-month: The L.A. area added 12,100 jobs (0.3%) from November to December. Orange County lost jobs — 2,100, a 0.1% decrease — over the same period. Statewide, California added 15,000 jobs in December, up 0.1% from November.
Growing industries: The employment sectors with the most growth in California in 2024 included healthcare (4.2%); arts, entertainment and recreation (3%); local government (2.8%); and transportation, warehousing and utilities (2.4%).
Sponsored message
Go deeper: Research nationwide job numbers on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
This article was produced with research provided by APM Research Lab and Marketplace.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
