Workforce = Explorer, Home

From: Subject: Workforce Explorer, Home Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2009 15:32:47 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: file://C:\Documents and Settings\mrkit\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK2\San Juan profile.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579 Workforce = Explorer, Home

San Juan County Profile, June = 2009

Joe Giannamore, Regional Labor = Economist

7/7/2009

Table of=20 Contents

Economic Overview

Employment by = Industry

Population, Labor Force,=20 Unemployment

Industry Employment by Age and=20 Sex

Wages and Income

Economic Overview

Links=20 to 61 San Juan County data sheets

For more = information onSan Juan=20 County, please see Regional Economists=20 and the Areas They Serve.

Please note: some = of the data=20 used is in this narrative is from the updated historical = information=20 available at file:///D= :/COUNTY%20PROFILES/www.workforceexplorer.com.=20 Click on =93Quick Links,=94 and =93Alphabetical list of site = contents,=94 go to=20 =93Nonagricultural Employment (Nonfarm) - historical Excel.=94 = This=20 information is benchmarked quarterly and subject to = change.

San Juan = County is = unique in=20 several ways. One of the most unique features is the local = economy. Every=20 year, the nonfarm employment data reveal the seasonal nature of = the island=20 economy. Between 2000 and 2008, the average annual job growth rate = between=20 January and August has been 34.3 percent. The yearly increase in=20 employment occurs as firms in the accommodation and food services = industry=20 prepare for the summer tourist season. While the seasonal nature = of the=20 San Juan economy insulates the county to a certain degree, the = county is=20 not immune to the effects of a recession. The 2008 recession = caused job=20 losses nationwide, including San Juan County. As a result, = preliminary=20 data indicate that year-over-year job growth in San Juan County = turned=20 negative in November 2008, and has continued to be negative = through the=20 first quarter of 2009. Further effects of the recession will be = discussed=20 below.

Overall, job = growth in San Juan=20 County has been strong when compared to the state and nation as a = whole.=20 Between 2000 and 2008, average annual job growth was = 1.9 percent,=20 comparing well to the state and national figures of = 1.1 percent and=20 0.5 percent, respectively. Consistent with the overall job = growth=20 experienced by the county was the large employment growth in the = natural=20 resource, mining, and construction grouping. It should be = noted=20 construction is currently 99.3 percent of this = subsector, with=20 natural resources and mining making up the other = 0.7 percent.

Job growth leads to population growth and, as = a result,=20 the demand for housing rises. Between 1996 and 2008, the = employment growth=20 rate in construction was 5.5 percent per year (statewide, = employment=20 in the construction sector increased at an average annual rate of=20 3.5 percent).

The largest = industry by=20 employment in the county is government. According to preliminary = data, in=20 2008, the government sector accounted for 18.0 percent of = total=20 nonfarm employment, and local government accounts for about=20 80.0 percent of total government jobs. The government sector = was=20 followed by the trade, transportation, and utilities grouping, and = the=20 natural resources, mining, and construction grouping at = 16.7 and=20 15.9 percent, respectively.

The San Juan = County economy has=20 always been heavily weighted towards the services-providing = sectors. In=20 2008, they accounted for over 80.0 percent of all nonfarm = employment,=20 which leaves the goods-producing sectors responsible for the other = 20.0 percent of total nonfarm employment.

Outlook

The San Juan = Island economy is=20 highly dependent on the travel and tourism industries. According = to the=20 Economic Development Element (EDE) of the 2007 San Juan County=20 Comprehensive Plan, tourism generates about 20.0 percent of = all=20 county employment and tax receipts.

In the EDE , the = county has=20 outlined an economic development strategy in an effort to enhance = economic=20 growth. Among the strategies outlined in the report are plans to = support=20 the small business community, increase tourism, and participate in = initiatives to develop a marine Industry cluster.

Employment by Industry

General=20 Trends

On an annual = average basis,=20 San = Juan=20 County = had 5,980=20 nonfarm jobs in 2008, up 90 jobs from the 2007 total of=20 5,890.
Between 1990 = and 2008, the=20 average annual job growth rate was 2.6 percent. Only two times = since=20 1990 has there been negative employment growth, in 1993 and=20 2002.

Industry=20 Detail

Based on the = nonfarm=20 historical series data, the goods producing sectors averaged = about 1,180=20 jobs in 2008, representing 19.8 percent of all jobs. The = natural=20 resources, mining, and construction subsector (again, almost all = construction) was responsible for 950 of these jobs. As = mentioned=20 earlier, this sector has benefited from the relatively large job = and=20 population growth that San=20 Juan County has experienced = over the=20 past decade.
The = manufacturing industry,=20 on the other hand, is almost nonexistent in San Juan=20 County. = There were=20 only 230 jobs in the manufacturing industry in 2008, = representing less=20 than 4.0 percent of all nonfarm jobs in the county. In = addition,=20 employment in the industry has decreased by 14.8 percent = since=20 2004.
The trade, = transportation=20 and utilities subsector of services-providing accounted for = 1,000 jobs=20 during 2008, the same as the previous two years. Outside of=20 construction, this sector experienced the highest growth rate = since the=20 mid-1990s. Between 1995 and 2008, the average annual employment = growth=20 rate was 3.4 percent.
The = information and=20 financial activities experienced relatively large employment = growth in=20 the early and mid 1990s. Between 1990 and 1998, sector = employment grew=20 at a 3.8 percent annual clip. However, since 1999, = employment=20 growth has been negative 1.7 percent per=20 year.
Due to the = aforementioned=20 high population growth rate, and the resulting increased demand = for=20 government services, the government sector employment has grown=20 substantially since 1990. Between 1990 and 2008, government = employment=20 grew at a 2.3 percent annual clip.

San Juan County employment is projected to grow at an annual rate of=20 1.4 percent between 2006 and 2016. The state employment job = growth=20 rate is also expected to be 1.4 percent over the same time = period.=20

In the year 2011, = it is=20 expected that 6,260 people will have jobs in San Juan = County, a 1.7 percent = annual=20 increase over the 2006 total. Industries that are expected to = experience=20 the highest average annual growth rates between 2006 and 2011 are=20 education and health services (3.8 percent), professional and = business services (3.7 percent), and leisure and hospitality=20 (3.4 percent).

Between 2011 and = 2016, the=20 annual rate of growth will slow to 1.1 percent per year. In 2016, = the=20 number of workers is predicted to be 6,620. The services sectors = will be=20 responsible for 5,500 of these jobs. Over this time period, = wholesale=20 trade (2.7 percent), professional and business services (2.5 = percent), and=20 education and health services (2.3 percent) are the sectors that = are=20 predicted to have the highest average annual growth = rates.

Population, Labor Force, = Unemployment

Population

San Juan County population was estimated to be 16,100 in = 2008, which=20 makes it the eighth smallest county in the state.
Of the 2008 = population=20 total, 13,860 were living in unincorporated areas of the=20 county.
The largest = and only=20 incorporated city in San = Juan=20 County is Friday = Harbor, with an = estimated 2008=20 population of 2,240.
The Office of = Financial=20 Management (OFM) predicts that the San Juan County population will = grow at a=20 1.8 percent annual rate between 2008 and 2030 =96 more than = twice the=20 national rate and 1.5 times the state rate.
The 2030 = projected=20 population of San=20 Juan County is 24,041. =

Age

In 2008, = two-thirds of the=20 San = Juan=20 County = population=20 was over the age of 40, compared to the national and state = figures, each=20 at approximately 45.0 percent.
Conversely, = less than=20 25.0 percent of the San Juan County population was = under the=20 age of 30. For the nation and state, this figure was about=20 41.0 percent.

Race and=20 Ethnicity

In 2008, = slightly less than=20 94.0 percent of the San Juan County population was = White=20 non-Hispanic. The San=20 Juan County population was = much less=20 diverse than the state (76.8 percent White non-Hispanic) or = nation=20 (66.4 percent White non-Hispanic).
The=20 Hispanic population represent the largest minority = group in=20 the county at about 2.6 percent in = 2008.

Educational=20 Attainment

Data from the = 2000 Census=20 show that San=20 Juan County residents are, in = general,=20 highly educated. Over 40.0 percent hold at least a = Bachelor=92s=20 Degree. The state (27.7 percent) and the nation = (24.4 percent)=20 lag behind.
Only = 5.6 percent of=20 San = Juan=20 County = residents do=20 not have a high school diploma. This compares favorably to the = state=20 (12.9 percent) and the nation as a whole (19.6 = percent).

Unemployment

After = experiencing five=20 consecutive years of decreasing annual average unemployment rates = from=20 2003 to 2007, the San=20 Juan County annual average = unemployment=20 rate increased to 3.7 percent in 2008. In addition, the = unemployment=20 rate reached 7.8 percent in January 2009 as the recession hit full = force,=20 but the rate has been dropping since that time.

Preliminary = annual average=20 data indicate that for 2008, there were 8,840 county residents = in the=20 labor force. Of these, 330 were unemployed.
The = San Juan=20 County = unemployment=20 rate has been below the state unemployment rate since 1998.=20

Industry Employment by Age and = Sex

LED

The Local = Employment Dynamics=20 (LED) database, a joint project of state employment departments = and the=20 Census Bureau, matches state employment data with federal = administrative=20 data. Among the products is industry employment by age and sex. = All=20 workers covered by state unemployment insurance data are included; = federal=20 workers and non-covered workers like self-employed are not. Data = is=20 presented by place of work, not place of residence. Some = highlights=20 include:

Industry = Employment by=20 Age

In = 2007:

Jobholders = between ages of=20 45 and 54 made up 25.0 percent of the workforce, =
Ages 55 to 64 = were=20 20.3 percent; and
Ages 35 to 44 = held about=20 19.3 percent of the jobs in San Juan County.

Industry = Employment by=20 Gender

During the = 2007 Calendar=20 Year, 52.9 percent of those employed in San Juan=20 County = were female,=20 47.1 percent were male.
Industries = with a large male=20 majority were construction (86.8 percent), utilities=20 (68.5 percent), and manufacturing=20 (60.5 percent).
Industries = with a large=20 female majority were health care and social assistance (87.3 = percent),=20 finance and insurance (82.5 percent), and educational = services=20 (72.3 percent).

Wages and Income

Average Annual = Wage

In 2007, = San Juan=20 County = averaged=20 more than 5,500 jobs covered by unemployment insurance, with a=20 $159.0 million payroll.
The county=92s = annual average=20 wage was $28,659, well below the state average of $43,904. In = 2007, the=20 county ranked 33rd in average covered wages.
Wages in = utilities were the=20 highest at $53,841. The next highest wages were paid in finance = and=20 insurance ($38,592), followed by information = ($37,329).
At the other = end of the=20 spectrum were wages in arts, entertainment and recreation = ($15,986),=20 real estate and rental and leasing ($16,436), and accommodation = and food=20 services ($18,387).

Hourly = Wages

In 2007, the = San Juan = County median hourly wage = was=20 $18.03, seventh highest in the state.

Personal and = Per Capita=20 Income

In 2007, personal = income in=20 San = Juan=20 County = ($56,398)=20 compared favorably to both the state average ($41,203) and the = national=20 average ($38,615).

Household and = Family=20 Income

In 1999, the = San Juan County=20 median household income was $43,491, slightly less than the = state figure=20 of ($45,776), but higher than the U.S. figure of = $41,994.
Also in 1999, = only 9.2=20 percent of the San=20 Juan County population was = below the=20 official poverty line. This compares favorably to both the state = (10.6=20 percent) and national figures (12.4 percent).