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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3
<br />230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment
<br />Page 3-223
<br />3.9.2.5 Economy
<br />Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment
<br />As was the case statewide and nationwide, the Project study area economy suffered greatly from the
<br />2008-2009 recession, experiencing declines in employment from the peak year of 2008, accompanied by
<br />rapid rises in unemployment rates. This rapid economic deterioration was followed by a weak recovery,
<br />with job growth being spotty and slow and unemployment rates continuing to rise in 2010. A slight
<br />lowering of unemployment rates occurred in 2011 and has continued through 2015. However, the
<br />unemployment rate remains high, at an 8.2 percent average for the first seven months of 2015 in the
<br />Project study area, compared to a statewide average of 5.8 percent. Kittitas County has fared slightly
<br />better than Grant or Yakima counties with a 2015 partial-year unemployment rate of 6.7 percent (WESD
<br />2015a). Labor force data are shown in Table 3.9-4.
<br />Table 3.9-4 Employment and Unemployment in the Project Study Area, 2011-2015
<br />LABOR FORCE 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 (JAN-JUL)
<br />Grant
<br />Civilian Labor Force 42,750 43,922 43,950 44,677 45,728
<br />Total Employment 38,470 39,767 40,096 41,228 42,248
<br />Total Unemployment 4,208 4,155 3,854 3,449 3,479
<br />Percent unemployed 10.0 9.5 8.8 7.7 7.6
<br />Kittitas
<br />Civilian Labor Force 20,740 20,570 20,161 20,012 20,978
<br />Total Employment 18,840 18,779 18,582 18,577 19,580
<br />Total Unemployment 1,900 1,792 1,578 1,436 1,398
<br />Percent unemployed 9.2 8.7 7.8 7.2 6.7
<br />Yakima
<br />Civilian Labor Force 120,170 121,042 118,788 119,411 120,926
<br />Total Employment 107,420 108,330 106,856 108,656 110,327
<br />Total Unemployment 12,750 12,712 11,932 10,755 10,499
<br />Percent unemployed 10.6 10.5 10.0 9.0 8.7
<br />Yakima, Kittitas, and Grant
<br />Civilian Labor Force 183,660 185,534 182,899 184,100 187,632
<br />Total Employment 164,730 166,876 165,534 168,461 172,155
<br />Total Unemployment 18,858 18,659 17,364 15,640 15,376
<br />Percent unemployed 10.3 10.1 9.5 8.5 8.2
<br />State of Washington
<br />Civilian Labor Force 3,459,200 3,471,158 3,460,038 3,488,183 3,543,878
<br />Total Employment 3,139,999 3,190,015 3,216,966 3,270,362 3,339,738
<br />Total Unemployment 319,201 281,143 243,072 217,821 204,139
<br />Percent unemployed 9.2 8.1 7.0 6.2 5.8
<br />Source: WESD 2015a
<br />Employment fluctuates seasonally in the Project study area, particularly in the more farming-dependent
<br />Grant and Yakima counties. This creates substantial seasonal changes in the unemployment rates in the
<br />Project study area, with Grant and Yakima counties typically experiencing swings of 5.3 percent in their
<br />unemployment rates over the course of a year. In 2014, Yakima County experienced high unemployment
<br />rate of 12.0 percent in January and a low of 6.5 percent in September (WESD 2015a). Monthly
<br />unemployment rates are depicted in Figure 3.9-2.
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