Skagit County Trends – September 2023

In AGRICULTURE:

1.3.3 Number of Food & Beverage Manufacturers & Their Share of Total Employment
Value-added agriculture, as measured by these processors, increased slightly in 2022 over prior years. The county’s share of its workforce in these manufacturers is, and has been, about double the Washington rate.

1.3.4 Employment in the Production of the Top Three Crops
Currently, berry farming provides the highest number of jobs to agricultural workers, followed by potatoes. “Other” horticultural crops make up the largest component of these jobs, reflecting the diverse crop base in the county.

In ECONOMIC VITALITY:

2.2.2 Quarterly Taxable Retail Sales
Taxable retail sales, measured quarterly, have been on a decline since the pandemic-induced peak in Q2 of 2021. After exceeding the state rate for much of 2020, the year-over-year growth rate has recently matched that of Washington.

2.2.3 Net Firms Created & Annual Growth Rate
While the pandemic brought a net positive balance to the new number of firms in the County, 2022 market a sharp reversal. The loss of firms last year more than accounted for the gains in 2020 and 2021.

2.3.3 Net Jobs Created & Annual Growth Rate
The number of jobs lost over the 2019-2020 period was profound, exceeding the number registered in the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The two years following 2020 have not brought up the job count to the number registered in 2019.

In ECONOMIC VITALITY CONT.:

2.3.4 Share of Employment in the 5 Largest Sectors
Little changed in the structure of the county economy, as measured by job distribution, in 2022. The top five sectors were, ranked: government (including local government & school districts), retail trade, manufacturing, healthcare & social assistance, manufacturing and hospitality.

2.4.2 Annual Residential Building Permits
This activity, a harbinger of construction activity several months later, declined significantly in 2022. The large drop in multi-family permits was largely responsible. The year’s total number of units was close to the average since 2016.

2.4.4 Quarterly Residential Building Permits
For the first half of this year, residential building permits have been registered at a slightly lower pace than in 2022. Generally, residential permitting activity here has been far below the state, as a rate per 1,000 residents.

In RECREATION & TOURISM:

8.3.3 Number Employed in Arts, Recreation, Restaurants & Hotels
The total number engaged in these industries gives a good sense of the size of the tourism sector, although restaurants provide services to visitors and locals alike. 2022 brought another increase in the count of these jobs, but it was still below the peak registered in 2019.

8.3.4 Number of Food & Accommodations Businesses
This measure homes in on the number of businesses that likely cater to visitors. The sum is heavily skewed to eating & drinking establishments. As the graph quickly reveals, the share of these businesses in the county is far higher than throughout the state.

updated 09.11.23