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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment Page 3-228 The Kittitas County economy is more connected to the Seattle regional economy than are Grant or Yakima counties. Employment in Kittitas County is more diversified and grew by an average of 1.5 percent annually. Utility, finance and insurance, real estate rental and leasing, and educational services grew most rapidly. As of 2013, the largest-employing sectors were government (4,953 jobs), accommodations and food services (2,613 jobs), retail trade (2,203 jobs), and construction (1,236 jobs). In terms of industry concentration relative to statewide (indicating importance as exporting sectors), the leading industries were state government, farming, accommodations, and utilities (BEA 2014a). Income In terms of personal income, Yakima County dominates the Project study area economy, accounting for approximately two-thirds of total personal income. While having the largest amount of personal income comprised by farm wage and salary income in 2013 ($791 million), Yakima County's economy was less reliant on farming as a proportion of total personal income (8.8 percent) than was the Grant County economy (15.7 percent). However, both Yakima and Grant counties were more reliant on farming as a proportion of total personal income when compared to Kittitas County or the state as a whole (1.7 and 0.9 percent, respectively; BEA 2014b). Income data are shown in Table 3.9-6. Reflecting its reliance on farm wage and salary employment, the Project study area has historically had lower per capita incomes than the state of Washington as a whole. However, those incomes have grown more slowly than statewide. Kittitas County, with its more diversified economy, has the highest per capita incomes of the three Project study area counties ($37,775) in 2013, with the corresponding statewide figure being $47,717. All three counties' per capita personal income grew at faster rates than the state of Washington, 3.1 percent, from 2001 to 2013 (BEA 2014b). Per capita income trends are depicted in Figure 3.9-4. FIGURE 3.9-4 PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME, PROJECT STUDY AREA COUNTIES AND STATEWIDE, 2001-2013. Source: BEA 2014b. Table CA4. 47717 34717 37775 36497 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000 2001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013Washington (3.1%) Grant (3.5%) Kittitas (3.5%) Yakima (3.7%) Area (avg annual % growth, 2001-2013)