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KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON <br />PAGE 22 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN <br />Job growth in the County has primarily been in population-driven, low-wage sectors. <br />In 2020, four sectors accounted for more than one-half (52.6 percent) of all jobs in the County: education, <br />accommodation and food services, retail, and healthcare (Figure 8, page 22). Among these, the healthcare and <br />accommodation and food services sectors have grown the most over the past two decades, increasing <br />employment by more than 58 and 71 percent, respectively, between 2001 and 2019. While most sectors saw <br />slight employment declines in 2020 as a result of the pandemic recession, accommodation and food services <br />were hit particularly hard, shedding more than 500 jobs (or about 19 percent) in a single year. A review of <br />employment by occupation mirrors the industry data, with the largest four occupation groups in Kittitas County <br />closely tied to the largest sectors: food preparers and servers, office and administrative support workers, sales <br />workers, and educational instruction workers. A surge of transportation workers—a net total increase of more <br />than 220 jobs since 2015—reflects the growth of the transportation industry generally, as well as increased <br />demand for retail and courier services in the COVID-19 pandemic era. Although the transportation industry in <br />Kittitas County is relatively small (less than 400 jobs in 2020), it grew by a substantial 24.9 percent in 2020 (an <br />addition of about 70 jobs). <br />Figure 8. 2020 Employment by Industry Sector: Kittitas County, Washington <br /> <br />Source(s): US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Emsi Burning Glass 2021.4—Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) <br />Employees, Non-QCEW Employees, and Self-Employed; TIP Strategies, Inc.