Bellingham One-Year Industry Employment Change

The Bellingham Metro Area: One-Year Percentage Growth in Employment

The Animal slaughtering and processing industry has witnessed the largest percentage of employment expansion, increasing by 75.8 percent from 2005 to 2006. This industry in Bellingham has grow faster than the industry has grown in the State of Washington, where the industry took a gain of 2.2 percent. The Animal slaughtering and processing industry in Bellingham outpaced the United States, which experienced a gained 0.1 percent.

Top 5 Industries
1. Animal slaughtering and processing (75.8 percent gain)
2. Support activities for water transportation (46.6 percent gain)
3. Other fabricated metal product manufacturing (45.9 percent gain)
4. Sugar and confectionery product manufacturing (40.3 percent gain)
5. Shoe stores (33.0 percent gain)

Employment for all industries has increased by 2 percent from 2005 (2nd Quarter). These figures are less than growth in Washington, experiencing a gain of 3.6 percent from 2005 (2nd Quarter). The gains in the area were equal to than the gain felt at the national level of 2 percent.

The Bellingham Metro Area: One-Year Percentage Decline in Employment

The Support activities for air transportation industry has seen the largest percentage drop in employment, losing 38.3 percent of the jobs from 2005 to 2006. These have declined faster than the industry has experienced in the State of Washington, where the industry felt a gain of 7.4 percent. The losses in the Support activities for air transportation industry in Bellingham outpaced the United States industry losses overall. During this period, the United States gained 5.3 percent in terms of employment in the Support activities for air transportation industry.

Top 5 Industries
1. Support activities for air transportation (38.3 percent decline)
2. Employment services (38 percent decline)
3. Medical and diagnostic laboratories (37.3 percent decline)
4. Clothing stores (33.3 percent decline)
5. Lumber and const. supply merchant wholesalers (22.8 percent decline)

Total One-Year Employment Decline in the Bellingham Metro Area

From of the area's 4-digit NAICS industries, the Employment services industry faced the greatest employment loss with a total loss of 362 jobs in that time period. The declines in the Employment services industry make up 20.9 percent of the employment lost during the period in Bellingham, WA.

Top 5 Industries
1. Employment services (362 jobs lost)
2. Clothing stores (321 jobs lost)
3. Fruit and tree nut farming (132 jobs lost)
4. Nonresidential building construction (101 jobs lost)
5. Cattle ranching and farming (86 jobs lost)

Out of the 157 industries (4-digit NAICS) with sufficient data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in each quarter, 51 described an expansion of jobs throughout the time period, while 103 industries reported employment loss in the period.

In the Bellingham, WA metro area, the total number of jobs throughout all industries has increased by 1,295 jobs between mid-2005 and mid-2006.

Total One-Year Employment Growth in the Bellingham Metro Area

The Limited-service eating places industry has accounted the most employment growth with a total of 211 employees finding new jobs in the industry. The employment growth in the Limited-service eating places industry makes up 7.5 percent of the growth in Bellingham.

Top 5 Industries
1. Limited-service eating places (211 new jobs)
2. Building finishing contractors (136 new jobs)
3. Traveler accommodation (126 new jobs)
4. Individual and family services (97 new jobs)
5. Grocery stores (96 new jobs)





About: This report is part 1 of 6 in the eCanned.com Industry Analysis Series.

Datasource: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). Private Sector Employment Only.

Income and Poverty in Bellingham, WA

The household income has declined from the inflation-adjusted values in 2000. The income level has decreased to $44,248, representing a 5.5 percent decline. The Bellingham, WA MSA, when comparing total percent of decline, ranks 4 of 5 metro area in percent of decline for income levels in the State of Washington. Bellingham ranks 171 of 233 metro area in terms of the decline in median income in the US.

While household income level experienced a decline during the period of 2000 to 2005 in the Bellingham, WA metro area, the Race/Ethnicity category that felt the biggest decline in median household income was the American Indian and Alaska Native Race/Ethnicity category. This group experienced a decline of 37.3 percent since 2000. The Asian population category was least influenced by the median household income decline in Bellingham, experiencing a 10.3 percent increase in median income, since the values reporting the 2000 Decennial Census.

When put side-by-side with other Metros throughout the United States, the Bellingham metro area may be understood as having a medium-high rate of poverty among the people, accounting a rate of 14.2 percent of the individuals existing in families with incomes under the poverty level in 1999. The Black or African American race/ethnicity population cohort, has the uppermost poverty rate with 29.5 percent of the population in 2000 living in poverty. Individuals aged 5 years are witness to the most percent living in poverty in Bellingham, with 21.3 percent of this age cohort living in poverty.

The poverty rate in the Bellingham, WA Metro has declined by 0.5 percent since the 2000 rates, moving from 14.2 percent to 13.7 percent.

According to the 2000 Census, the Asian headed households in the area have median household incomes of $36,406. This median income level is 22.2 percent less than the reported median for all households in the area. The households that were headed by an American Indian and Alaska Native individual in Bellingham reported an income level of $37,318, this level was 20.3 percent less than the median level for total households in the area. In Bellingham, WA White householders had a median household income (in 2005 Dollars) of $47,556 as reported in 2000 by the census, which was 1.6 percent greater than the median in 2000. Black or African American householders reported household income levels that were 7.4 percent less than the overall reported level in 2000, with a reported median of $43,326. Hispanic in Bellingham, WA , as reported in 2000, had a median household income of $36,192, this median household income is 22.7 percent less than the median reported for all households in the area.

Compared to Metro Areas across the United States, the Bellingham metro area accounted a medium-high household income of $46,806 (2005 Dollars). The income level is 14.4 percent lower than the median in Washington of $53,558 and the median household income is 5 percent lower than the median household income level in the US of $49,133.

Datasource: U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2000 Decennial Census. 2005 American Community Survey.