The Richmond region's most populous locality is its third largest source of jobs, according to Chesterfield County planners, but there is room for improvement in the employment base.

Chesterfield County principal planner Steven F. Haasch today shared with members of the business community a regional analysis that showed the county had a rising number of job opportunities for its citizens, but not high paying ones.

"We just do not have a lot of corporate headquarter type jobs here," Haasch said this morning at an inVision Chesterfield breakfast at CJW Medical Center (Johnston-Willis) sponsored by the Greater Richmond Chamber.

Chesterfield County is estimated to have the largest population in the Richmond region with more than 300,000 roughly 31 percent of the region's total. According to 2007 data, the county accounted for 23 percent of the region's 532,000 jobs, just behind Henrico County and Richmond.

The average weekly wage in Chesterfield last year was $731, more than $100 less than the regional average of $843 a week, Haasch said. Overall, Chesterfield is fourth behind Henrico, Richmond and Goochland County, which tops the list at $1,227 per week.

And while the county's employment rate at 2.7 percent is the second lowest in the Richmond area -- just behind Hanover -- Chesterfield is still well behind Henrico and Hanover in the number of jobs offered in the top five highest-paying sectors: management of companies and enterprises, finance and insurance, professional and technical services, wholesale trade and manufacturing.

Last year, Henrico had 34 percent of its total employment (61,000 jobs) in those markets, Richmond had 28 percent (44,000 jobs), and Chesterfield had 22 percent (27,000 jobs).