County Economy Needs Boost

DAYTON - The trend in Columbia County's economy shows that nonfarm jobs continue to decline while the value of area farm production has suffered during most of the past decade, according to data presented last Thursday evening at the Liberty Theater by regional labor economist Arum Kone.

Kone spoke for nearly an hour about Dayton's population, earning and spending trends to a crowded room at this Port of Columbia County-hosted event.

According to Kone, Columbia County has one of the state's lowest averages in per capita retail sales at $2,639, compared to the state's average, not including King County, of $6,167.

Port Director Jennie Dickinson said she was "not surprised" by Kone's economic outlook for Dayton. "Although the per capita retail spending was even lower than I thought, compared to our neighbors," she said.

Dickinson suggested that business and civic leaders "balance our reaction to that by encouraging retailers to offer products that residents need in addition to gift items attractive to tourists."

But the city also needs residents to work harder at trying to buy local whenever they can, she said.

"It will take a real effort to overcome the price and variety advantages larger shopping areas offer," she said.

Nonfarm employment declined from more than 1,500 jobs in the county in 1990 to less than 1,200 by the end of 2009. And the county is still well below the state average for annual wages, at less than $35,000. The state average is about $40,000, meaning Columbia County residents make close to 12.5 percent less each year than the state average.

Dickinson herself compiled a list of the county's largest employers for the occasion. In the top five were Ski Bluewood, with 186 total full-time, part-time and seasonal employees; Columbia County Health System, with 134; Dayton Public Schools, with 97; Columbia County, with 86; and Warren Orchard, with 59.

Compared to the rest of the state, Columbia County relies heavily on government jobs, Kone said. About 40 percent of the jobs in the county are in the government sector, not including agriculture statistics, he said. Statewide that number is just 17 percent. In Walla Walla County, the number is 22 percent.

Also high in Columbia County is the number of people who rely on retirement, social security and farm payments for an income, Dickinson said.

Population trends, according to Kone, show just about what people expected. Young people don't stay long in town, and ag jobs are disappearing fast.

The market value of farm production in the county fell from nearly $40 million in 2002 to $26.5 million in 2007, a decline of nearly 50 percent over five years, according to Kone's data.

"I have known for many years that the changes in agriculture in our community have hurt us very much," Dickinson said. "It takes less people to run a farm, so we've lost jobs and population; input prices have gone way up, but commodities prices have been stagnant, so farm profit is sometimes non-existent; and programs like CRP, which pay us NOT to grow a crop, have made many supportive agri-businesses extinct."

Interestingly, Kone said, Dayton has shown unusual trends in unemployment. Unemployment rates now are lower than they were during the height of the recession, he said. Statewide, unemployment rates are going down.

Columbia County had 1,200 jobs in 2010 compared to Walla Walla County's 24,500, Garfield County's 900, Asotin County's 5,000, and Whitman County's 18,000.

"This presentation also showed how important it was as a community for Dayton to fight for wind development," Dickinson said. "The wind industry arrived just as the asparagus jobs were leaving, and we would be in a lot worse shape if we didn't have this new industry. Vestas is the ninth largest employer in the county, providing important jobs for our residents and economic activity in the community.

"If we had not worked so hard to promote economic diversification and allow new development, encourage tourism and recreationrelated jobs, and make our community more attractive, we would be in even worse shape" she said. "As hard as we work, all we really do is tread water. Rural communities are struggling, so we're not alone. "