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• In ten years Whatcom County Local Regular Property Taxes (home taxes) went up 116.7%! An annual growth rate of 8.0%, (blue line).

• Whatcom County is one of 39 counties in Washington. It is part of the Bellingham Metropolitan Area. Its 2000 population of 167,553 ranked 9th in the State.
  Whatcom County Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI)
  Over the past 10 years county PCPI went up an average of 2.9% each year. State wide PCPI rose 4.5%, 4.2% nation wide.
  The PCPI was $17,345 in 1990 ranking 17th in the State.
  By 2000, the PCPI was $23,133 ranking 18th in the State, 74% of the State average of $31,230, 78% of the national average of $29,469.
• Whatcom County Total Personal Income (TPI)
  Over the past 10 years the average annual growth rate of TPI was 5.6%. The average annual growth rate for the State was 6.5%, 5.5% nation wide.
  In 1990, the TPI was $2,239,492* ranking 9th in the State.
  By 2000, TPI was $3,876,078* ranking 9th in the State, 2.1% of the State total.
• COMPONENTS OF TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME (TPI)
  TPI includes the earnings (wages and salaries, other labor income, and proprietors's income); dividends, interest, and rent; and transfer payments received by county residents.
  Earnings in Whatcom County were 66.1% of TPI in 1990. By 2000, earnings were 62.3% of TPI. Dividends, interest, and rent were 22.1% (compared with 21.2% in 1990); and transfer payments were 15.6% (compared with 12.7% in 1990).
  From 1990 to 2000, earnings increased on average 5.0% each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 6.1%; and transfer payments increased on average 7.8%.

• EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
  Earnings of persons employed in Whatcom County increased from $1,558,907* in 1990 to $2,526,038* in 2000, an average annual growth rate of 4.9%.
  The largest industries in 2000 were services, 24.1% of earnings; state and local government, 12.5%; and construction, 12.0%.
  In 1990, the largest industries were services, 19.7% of earnings; construction, 14.1%; and retail trade, 13.1%.
  Of the industries that accounted for at least 5% of earnings in 2000, the slowest growing from 1990 to 2000 was nondurable goods manufacturing which increased at an average annual rate of 2.6%; the fastest was finance, insurance, and real estate which increased at an average annual rate of 11.0%.

* All income estimates with the exception of PCPI are in thousands of dollars.
County information furnished by Regional Economic Information System Bureau of Economic Analysis. (http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/bearfacts/bf10/53/index.htm)
Chart furnished by Washington State Office of Program Research.
(http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/opr/)

ACTS
Anonymous Citizens for Tax Sanity
409 Q St.
Port Townsend WA 98368
Phone: 360-385-0786
E-Mail to dwren@olympus.net

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This page last modified on 10/20/2002