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Kittitas County Population and Employment Allocations for 2037 <br />The Kittitas County population/employment projections and allocations establish the growth forecasts <br />to be used for planning purposes and the specific growth targets for each Urban Growth Area (UGA). As <br />established by the Washington Growth Management Act (RCW 43.62.035), the State of Washington <br />Office of Financial Management (OFM) prepares twenty-year growth management planning population <br />projections for each county planning under GMA. The OFM prepares high, medium and low forecasts for <br />each county, with the middle range representing the most likely scenario. Total county forecasts must <br />be based upon the most recent projection provided by the OFM when counties and jurisdictions make <br />population projections for planning purposes (RCW 36.70A.110(2)). <br />The county level forecasts are reviewed and distributed among the jurisdictions in the County through a <br />collaborative process. The Kittitas County Conference of Governments (KCCOG) is the body charged with <br />leading this process. Once population allocations are established, jurisdictions must develop plans that <br />demonstrate the capacity to accommodate their 20 -year population projection consistent with GMA. <br />The KCCOG updated the Kittitas County population allocation based on a projected two percent (2%) <br />overall annual County population growth and within the OFM 2012 population forecast. This results in a <br />Kittitas County total population forecast of 65,967 in 2037. The allocation adopted by the KCCOG for <br />anticipated population growth of the municipal UGAs and the unincorporated rural County is based <br />upon the assumption that sixty-five percent (65%) of the future population will reside within urban <br />areas and that thirty-five percent (35%) will reside in rural areas of the County. County Employment <br />projection is based upon an employment estimate of 19,362 workers in 2015 with an anticipated growth <br />rate of two percent (2%). Employment allocation and projection is based upon the assumption that <br />eighty percent (80%) of job growth will Locate in urban areas (and that twenty percent (20%) percent <br />will locate in rural areas outside the established urban growth areas. Results from this analysis are <br />shown below: <br />Table 1. 2037 Population and Employment Projection <br />Jurisdiction <br />2037 Population <br />Growth <br />2037 Population 2037 Employment <br />Growth* <br />2037 Employment <br />Cle Elum <br />1808 <br />3683 <br />1353 <br />3399 <br />Ellensburg <br />11757 <br />32540 <br />6998 <br />18488 <br />Kittitas <br />807 <br />2288 <br />365 <br />804 <br />Roslyn <br />307 <br />1203 <br />202 <br />1352 <br />South Cle Elum <br />464 <br />10_59 <br />6 <br />13 <br />County Rural <br />8154 <br />25197 <br />2231 <br />6461 <br />Kittitas County <br />Total Population <br />and Employment <br />23297 <br />65967 <br />11155 <br />30517 <br />*2015 Employment estimates based on total countywide employment estimate of 19,362 and 2015 <br />employment shares <br />