Economic report data tells unique tale of Gunnison County

Comparisons with similar counties show the good and bad of how we stack up

A new report compiled by Gunnison County planning personnel illustrates where Gunnison County thrives and where it lags, where it’s similar and where it is different. The Economic/Community Indicators Report takes raw data collected from a number of sources throughout the community and compares it with those reported by similar counties.
The report was presented to Gunnison County Planning Commissioners on Friday, June 27 by Community Development director Russell Forrest and planner Cathie Pagano.

“We’re trying to keep the politics out of this,” said Forrest. “We’re trying not to have spin.” The purpose of the report, he said, is to take all the raw data gathered and boil it down into something meaningful that may help with planning. The idea is to establish a baseline, then collect data on an ongoing basis. The counties compared with Gunnison are La Plata, Montrose, Routt, Eagle and Grand. The most recent data comes from 2012-2013.
Some telling statistics:
Gunnison County has a highly educated populace, with 52 percent of the residents having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Contrasting that, 16 percent of residents fall below the federal poverty line, with 43 percent of students in the public schools qualifying for free or reduced price lunch.
With the exception of Montrose County, Pagano said, “Our income is dramatically lower per capita,” than the comparison counties and the state. She cited an average of “mid-30s” per job in Gunnison County. “We have lower income, and a higher cost of living.”
One explanation is that residents have traded income for quality of life, said Pagano. Forrest suggested that this demonstrates the manifestation of the stereotype PhD waiting tables, a scenario joked about in resort communities, but a phenomenon that’s real. More than a few Gunnison County residents, it would seem, are willing to sacrifice income in order to live here.
Data collected on commuter traffic along State Highway 135 between Gunnison and Crested Butte are unique as compared to other resort communities, where daily travel is more one-way, with the resort providing the bulk of jobs to the employee bedroom communities. “It appears that there are similar numbers of people driving from north to south every day as there are driving south to north,” said Pagano. The implication is that people are as likely to live in Crested Butte and work in Gunnison as they are to live in Gunnison and work in Crested Butte. “It gets to the connectedness of our communities,” said Pagano.
Additional indicators include population growth (slower than comparison counties), student enrollment numbers at Western State Colorado University, and lodging and visitor information. “Our plan is to do it twice a year,” said Pagano, “so we can track fluctuations in the numbers as they occur.”
The Economic Indicators report was compiled by county staff. Data sources include Headwaters Economics, which uses U.S. Census data, RE1J School District, Western State Colorado University, and the Colorado Department of Transportation.