ECONOMIC PROFILE
The Island County Economic Development Council (EDC) continually updates an economic profile of Island County. The Island County Profile has sub-profiles for the four geographic areas of the County which succinctly capture the economic factors defining each area. The following key economic information was drawn from these EDC profiles to provide the economic context in which the Ports comprehensive planning was done.
POPULATION/DEMOGRAPHICS
Population projections from the Office of Financial Management indicate that Island County could grow by 30% by 2025. Central Whidbey Island is projected to increase 22%, due primarily to the unique exemption Coupeville, the only town in Central Whidbey Island, has from accommodating growth or expansion as an urban center because it lies wholly within the Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve.
**Whidbey News Times, 9/3/06
| Number of People | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Central Whidbey | 6,150 | 8,205 | 10,600 | 11,370 | 12,100 |
| Town of Coupeville | 1,006 | 1,377 | 1,750 | 1,820 | 2,000 |
| Greenbank (core) | 110 | 152 | 242 | 242 | 250 |
**Washington State Office of Management and Budget projections
Island County Demographics:
| Average Population Growth | Median Age | Educational Attainment | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% per year | Island County | 37.0 | High School diploma | 92.1% |
| 1990s | 1.9% per year | Central Whidbey | 45.8 | Bachelors Degree | 18.8% |
| 2000s | 1.5% per year | Professional Degree | 8.3% | ||
| Gender | Race | Marital Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 50.1% | One Race | 96.6% | Never married | 18.5% |
| Gender | 49.9% | Multiple Race | 3.4% | Now married | 65.1% |
| White | 87.2% | Separated | 1.3% | ||
| Veteran Status | Black | 2.4% | Widowed | 5.5% | |
| Civilian Vets | 24.9% | Asian | 4.2% | Divorced | 9.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.0% | ||||
**The majority of the minority populations reside outside the Port District in Oak Harbor.
| Households by type | Housing Occupancy | Housing Tenure (Units) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family households | 72.9% | Occupied | 85.8% | Owner occupied | 70.1% |
| Single person household | 27.1% | Vacant | 14.2% | Renter occupied | 29.9% |
| Total # households | 27,784 | Total units | 32,378 | Total occupied | 27,784 |
**Family households are: married couples, domestic partners and female head of households with children under 18 years of age
** US Census Bureau, Census 2000.
EMPLOYMENT/LABOR
There are no major industrial firms in Central Whidbey Island. The largest employers of District residents in 2006 are: Whidbey General Hospital (630), Island County (300), Careage of Whidbey (123) and Coupeville School District (122). The dominant employer in Island County is the Naval Air Station in Oak Harbor. Its close proximity directly impacts civilian employment in the northern portion of the Port District.
| Number of | Licensed Active Businesses | Businesses with Employees | Total Employees | Average Employees per Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Whidbey | 931 | 165 | 2,300 | 14 |
| Island County | 6,000 | 2,000 | 16,000 | 8 |
3,250 Island County workers were self-employed as non-incorporated business owners. Only 7% of Island County businesses have more than 20 employees. 70% employ 4 or less.
**2002 US Economic Census
| Average by Area | Coupeville | Oak Harbor | Freeland | Langley | Clinton | Camano Island |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Employed | 2,423 | 6,945 | 1,334 | 1,465 | 730 | 741 |
| # Firms | 295 | 740 | 183 | 198 | 180 | 205 |
Island County Labor Force Information:
The average total non-military labor force in Island County is 32,000.
| Average Hourly Wages | Class of Worker (% population) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Production | $12.20 | Private wage, salary | 67.2% | |
| Unskilled Labor | $6.35 | Government worker | 20.3% | |
| Word Processor | $8.30 | Self-employed worker | 12.0% | |
| Computer Programmer | $12.81 | Unpaid family worker | 0.5% | |
The 2003-2005 average unemployment rate was 6.5%.
| Average Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Industry | Washington State | Island County | Average # Employed - Island County |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing | $20,413 | $16,690 | 153 |
| Construction | $39,821 | $29,173 | 1,069 |
| Manufacturing | $51,752 | $37,483 | 663 |
| Wholesale, Retail | $33,679 | $23,369 | 2,744 |
| Transportation, Warehousing | $41,715 | $36,674 | 436 |
| Information | $88,147 | $42,955 | 300 |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate | $51,731 | $29,920 | 703 |
| Professional & Technical Services | $58,273 | $33,283 | 501 |
| Company/Enterprise Management | $75,674 | $52,236 | 174 |
| Administrative & Waste Services | $33,282 | $23,144 | 489 |
| Educational Services | $28,361 | $30,102 | 1,716 |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | $34,906 | $28,746 | 1,778 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation | $24,368 | $18,008 | 780 |
| Accommodations, Food Services | $14,738 | $11,109 | 1,657 |
| Other Services (except Public Admin) |
$20,582 | $16,156 | 600 |
| Government (not including military) |
$41,708 | $47,111 | 1,179 |
| Average Totals | $39,607 | $27,400 | 15,047 |
**2004 Washington State Department of Revenue
GOVERNMENT/TAXES
Island County is part of the 2nd Congressional District and the 10th State Legislative District. Coupeville, the only incorporated town in the Port District, is the county seat.
The Town of Coupeville is governed by an elected mayor and town council. The Island County Board of Commissioners governs the county. The three County commissioners, representing the three districts, are elected by county-wide election. They serve alternating four year terms.
Municipal police services are provided within town boundaries. The Island County Sheriff serves the incorporated areas of Central Whidbey Island. Fire response is provided by Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue . Paramedic and certified emergency medical technician services are also provided by this all-volunteer fire department. The fire insurance classification codes are: Town of Coupeville - 5, unincorporated Central Whidbey - 8A.
Island County retail sales tax is 8.3%. The following records the total taxable sales 1999-2005.
| Retail Sales-Millions- | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island County | $526.9 | $561.6 | $550.5 | $589.8 | $615.8 | $686.0 | $767.7 |
| Coupeville | $ 25.4 | $ 28.4 | $ 27.9 | $ 28.7 | $ 34.6 | $ 35.1 | $ 40.9 |
The Island County property tax rate is $8.11 to $10.68 per $1000 of assessed valuation.
REAL ESTATE
There is 29 acres of available commercially zoned property in Central Whidbey Island: 14 in the Town of Coupeville and 15 in unincorporated Central Whidbey.
| Average Value | Housing | Land | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Whidbey | $279,440 | $50,000 | $329,000 |
| Island County | $304,000 | $65,000 | $369,000 |
*Housing includes an average of both existing & new construction from 2005 real estate sales. Land is platted lots at median price.
**Gregor M Strohm, ASA
Although hard to document, Island County commercial rates for existing new construction of office and retail locations have been averaging at $1.50 per square foot. A 700 square foot office would equate to approximately $1,050 rate per month without a triple net clause.
GENERAL TRANSPORTATION
There are three private FAA approved airports on Whidbey Island and two US Navy airfields. One of the private fields and one of the federal fields are in the Port District. The federal facility is the US Navys Outlying Field (OLF) located south of Coupeville. The private field is a primitive, grass field located west of OLF. Adjacent to the Port Districts northern boundary is a privately owned facility, Wes Lupien Airfield. It provides the only regularly scheduled public passenger air service to/from Whidbey Island. Kenmore Air provides this service from Oak Harbor to Boeing Field with a shuttle to SeaTac Airport.
Land access to Whidbey Island is from the north, via Deception Pass Bridge. State Highway 20/525 bisects the Island north/south from Deception Pass to Clinton. Island County roads provide interconnection between the state highway and town/city road systems.
Central Whidbey Island is served by a fare-free bus system, Island Transit. The transit system makes frequent daily connections throughout Island County and has inter-county connections to Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish Counties. Two private passenger bus or van services provide daily service from various Whidbey Island points of departure to SeaTac: Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle and Bellair Airporter Shuttle.
Freight and trucking services are provided by: Pony Mailing, Federal Express, Airborne Express, UPS, Emery, Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Dudley Freight, Consolidated Freightways, Viking Freight, LF Motor Freight, Yellow Freight System, Costco and Office Max.
The following is the Department of Transportations annual traffic count for 2005.
| Traffic Count | Libby Road | SR20 at Main Street Coupeville | 6th & North Main Street - Coupeville | South Main Street | SR525 at Race Road Coupeville | Keystone Ferry Landing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average # cars per day | 11,000 | 11,000 | 4,300 | 5,100 | 6,300 | 1,000 |
*June-September traffic counts increase approximately 20%
Washington State Ferries has two Whidbey Island runs: Clinton to Mukilteo and Keystone to Port Townsend. Generally, the Clinton ferry runs every hour. The Keystone ferry runs every 90 minutes, with service increasing to every 45 minutes in the summer. In 2005 the Clinton ferries transported 4,057,008 riders (6,066 vehicles/11,115 riders per day) and the Keystone ferries carried 778,263 (1,015 vehicles/2,132 riders per day).
TOURISM
Tourism is one of the most important forms of economic development for Central Whidbey. It is promoted by Island County, State and regional agencies, local business associations and the chamber of commerce. The following are Island County Travel Impacts, 1991-2002.
| 1991 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor Spending by Type of Traveler Accommodation ($Million) | |||||||
| Hotel, Motel, B&B | 20.9 | 23.3 | 23.7 | 26.0 | 27.7 | 28.2 | 28.2 |
| Private Campground | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 5.7 | 2.6 |
| Public Campground | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Private Home | 12.8 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 17.5 | 18.5 | 19.6 | 20.1 |
| Vacation Horne | 9.3 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 12.0 | 12.3 |
| Day Travel | 26.7 | 33.0 | 32.8 | 35.1 | 37.2 | 40.7 | 39.3 |
| Spending at Destination | 75.6 | 91.4 | 90.7 | 97.6 | 103.6 | 112.3 | 108.4 |
| Visitor Spending by Commodity Purchased ($Million) | |||||||
| Accomodations | 10.7 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 14.5 | 15.3 | 14.9 |
| Food & Beverage Services | 26.1 | 31.1 | 31.7 | 33.5 | 35.1 | 37.9 | 37.6 |
| Food Stores | 6.3 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| Ground Tran. & Motor Fuel | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Recreation, Entertainment | 14.0 | 17.7 | 17.9 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 22.0 | 21.2 |
| Shopping | 16.4 | 19.8 | 17.7 | 20.2 | 21.4 | 23.5 | 21.8 |
| Spending at Destination | 75.6 | 91.4 | 90.7 | 97.6 | 103.6 | 112.3 | 108.4 |
| Total Direct Travel Spending ($Million) | |||||||
| Visitor Spending at Destination | 75.6 | 91.4 | 90.7 | 97.6 | 103.6 | 112.3 | 108.4 |
| Air Transportation | 11.9 | 14.3 | 17.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total Direct Spending | 87.5 | 105.7 | 108.3 | 97.6 | 103.6 | 112.3 | 108.4 |
| Travel-Generated Earnings by Industry ($Million) | |||||||
| Accommodation & Food Services | 14.2 | 16.7 | 17.5 | 18.7 | 20.0 | 21.2 | 21.6 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 7.6 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 11.5 |
| Retail (incL Motor Fuel) | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Air Transportation | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Travel Arrangement Services | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. |
| Auto Rental & other ground tran. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. |
| Total. Direct Earnings | 28.6 | 34.5 | 36.2 | 33.8 | 36.1 | 38.6 | 38.2 |
| Travel-Generated Ernployanent by Industry Jobs) | |||||||
| Accommodations & Food Service | 1,270 | 1,210 | 1,270 | 1,320 | 1,260 | 1,310 | 1,290 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1,250 | 1,220 | 1,130 | 1,100 | 1,170 | 1,110 | 1,050 |
| Retail (incl. Motor Fuel) | 260 | 260 | 230 | 260 | 260 | 270 | 240 |
| Air Transportation | 70 | 60 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travel Arrangement Services | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. |
| Auto Rental & other ground tran. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. | n.d. |
| Total Direct Employment | 2,890 | 2,800 | 2,760 | 2,720 | 2,730 | 2,720 | 2,600 |
| Tax Revenues Generated by Travel Spending ($Million) | |||||||
| Local Taxes | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| State Taxes | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
| Total Direct Taxes | 5.6 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 8.2 |
Details may not add to totals due to rounding. n.d. denotes not disclosed.
Estimates for 1992 through 1996 are available from Dean Runyan Associates (www.deanrunyan.com).
AGRICULTURE/AQUACULTURE
Agriculture: The Port District remains the principal agricultural region in Island County. At least 45% of USDA Class II farmlands are found in Port District 2. However, farms and farmers are struggling, impacted by low prices, loss of local crop processing plants, closure of support businesses and impacts from urban sprawl. The number of farms has decreased by 11% from 1997 to 2002. The market value of production of all farms in Island County has dropped by 15%. (See Appendix E-5: State of Island County Agriculture Presentation Materials)
**2002USDA Census of Agriculture
Farmland in Island County is disappearing to meet the needs of a burgeoning population. From 1997-2002, the number of acres of farmland decreased 23%. The average farm size decreased 14%.
**2002 USDA Census of Agriculture
Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve (NHR) overlays all of Port District 1, and the majority of Port District 2. As a unit of the National Park Service (NPS), the Reserve strives to protect the working cultural landscape in the Reserve, primarily agriculture. NPS and the Ebeys Landing NHR Trust Board have a powerful impact on the future of agriculture in the Port District. Currently, they are advocating for the adoption of amendments to Island County development regulations to create an overlay zone that encompasses the Reserve, which would impose special density and use restrictions consistent with protecting working farms. Currently, NPS owns 326 acres of farmland in the Reserve and is exploring opportunities for returning this land to private agricultural production.
**Ebeys Landing NHR Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Volume I, September 2005
Aquaculture: There are three existing aquaculture districts in the Port District. The Penn Cove district is located west of Coupeville. Penn Cove Shellfish has the only shoreline permit in this district to raise mussels. It is the oldest and largest mussel farm in the United States. Between 750,000-1,000,000 pounds of mussels are produced a year.
**Ian Jefferds, 2000
The second district is not permitted to anyone at this time, but geoducks were harvested in the past by state and tribal officials. The third district has no existing harvest permit, as the geoducks present in the area are too small and do not have high commercial value. Any new aquaculture projects would have to operate within the unused capacity in one of the three existing districts. New districts, or the expansion of existing ones, must meet significant environmental, aesthetic and public review standards, and not exceed net-pen and raft densities to be permitted by Island County. **1999 Island County Comprehensive Plan
**Ebeys Landing NHR Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Volume I, September 2005
UTILITIES
Media Communications: Coupeville Examiner (weekly newspaper), Whidbey News Times & South Whidbey Record (twice weekly newspapers), Comcast (cable television) and KWDB 1110 AM (radio station).
Electricity: Puget Sound Energy.
Natural Gas/Bulk Propane: There are no natural gas providers on Central Whidbey. Propane providers are: Cascade Natural Gas, Skagit Farmers Supply, Suburban Propane, Corey Oil, Ferrelgas, Northern Energy and Suburban.
Telephone: Verizon Northwest and Whidbey Telecom.
Water: The Town of Coupeville operates a municipal water system with total capacity of 345,000 gpm and a pressure range of 30-130 psi. In unincorporated Central Whidbey Island the majority of Port District residents are served by privately owned community water systems and private individual wells.
Sewer/Septic: The Town of Coupeville operates a municipal sewer system with a secondary type of treatment for its residents. Its capacity range is 250,000 gpm. The majority of Port District residents are served by individual septic systems.
Garbage/Recycling: Island Disposal, a private contractor.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Medical: Whidbey Island Public Hospital District includes all of Whidbey Island. Whidbey General Hospital operates a 24-hour emergency room and 51 bed facility in Coupeville, and two community clinics in Oak Harbor and Clinton. Whidbey General is a Level 3 trauma center. Three paramedic ambulances serve the island. There are fifteen doctors, three dentists and other specialists. The ratio of doctors per thousand is 1.3.
Medical and emergency facilities are available to active/retired military personnel at Naval Air Station - Whidbey Island.
Accommodations: The Town of Coupeville and the unincorporated areas of the Port District offer a wide range of visitor accommodations.
| Hotel/Motels | RV Parks/Campsites | Meeting Centers | Bed & Breakfasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| 100 beds | 50-400 capacity | 25 rooms |
Cultural/Public Facilities:
| Community Center | Coupeville Recreation Center, Greenbank Farm |
| Library | Sno Isle Regional Library Coupeville Branch |
| Museum | Island County Historical Society Museum |
| Performing Arts Center | Coupeville High School (380 seats) |
| Visual Art Center | Coupeville Art Center |
| Art Gallery | Artists Cooperative of Whidbey Island, Artworks Gallery, Blue Heron Gallery, Greenbank Gallery, Penn Cove Gallery |
| Conference Center | Camp Casey Conference Center |
