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SECTION N <br />t <br />THE ESTIMATED MEDIAN HOURLY WAGE OF THE JOBS <br />CREATED WHEN DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. <br />The Old Heat project is intentionally designed to generate high-wage <br />employment aligned with Washington State's advanced industry clusters, rather <br />than reinforcing the county's existing dependence on low-wage service sectors. <br />The targeted sectors include aerospace and precision component manufacturing, <br />agriculturaltechnology, advanced materials, clean technology, and embedded <br />systems industries. Each demonstrates compensation levels wellabove Kittitas <br />County's current median wage of $69,928 per year (=$33.62ftt0u0. <br />BENCHMARK COMPARISONS <br />Using IMPLAN modeling and industry wage data (NAICS 3364 series for <br />aerospace, NAICS 333111 for agricultural machinery and comparable cleantech <br />and instrumentation subsectors), the following median annual compensation <br />figures are representative:. Aerospace product & parts manufacturing (NAICS 3364): -$92,000/year <br />(=$44.23lhour) <br />Agricultural machinery manufacturing (NAICS 3331 1 1 ): -$76,000/year <br />(=$36.54/hou0 <br />Advanced materials & clean-tech manufacturing: -$80,000-$85,000/year <br />(=$38.46-$40,87/hou r) <br />Embedded systems/software for ind ustrial applications: -$95,000- <br />$1 00,000/year (=$45.6t*48.08/hour) <br />These estimates reflect direct employment in the sectors Old Heat is designed to <br />host or catalyze. lndirect and induced employment (e,9,, professional services, <br />supply chain, and local spending impacts) will average slightly lower but remain <br />significantly above Kittitas County's current wage base. IMPLAN modeling <br />64 lOld Heat CERB Feasibility Study <br />projects an average compensation premium of 20-250/o above the county median <br />wage for the new jobs created by Old Heat. <br />AGGREGATE MEDIAN WAGE ESTIMATE <br />Given the mix of targeted industries, the blended median wage of jobs created <br />through Old Heat development is conservatively estimated at $40-$45 per hour <br />($83,200-$93,600 annually). <br />This range accounts for:. Higher-end wages in aerospace, embedded systems, and advanced R&D,. Mid+ange wages in agricultural technology and cleantech manufacturing.. Secondary effects from induced jobs in professional and technical <br />services. <br />IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS <br />This wage level represents a 2f35% premium over Kittitas County's current <br />median hourly wage and positions Old Heat as a structural intervention into the <br />county's wage trajectory. By embedding these industries into the local economy, <br />Old Heat directly addresses the living-wage deficit identified earlier in this report, <br />ensuring that new job creation translates into sustainable household prosperity <br />and a stronger tax base.