Whatcom added more than 15,000 jobs in 10 years. Here are the industries that thrived
Whatcom County experienced significant overall job growth in the past decade, but one industry did surprisingly well.
Jobs in the local manufacturing sector rose 40.3% between October 2009 and October 2019, according to data from the Washington State Employment Security Department. The number of jobs in Whatcom County manufacturing in October was estimated to be 10,800, an increase of 3,100 when compared to October 2009.
The number of non-farm jobs in November was 96,100, up 15,500 compared to 10 years ago. That’s a 19.2% increase.
In the manufacturing sector, jobs tied to petroleum and refineries experienced a significant jump, rising 59.6% to 1,234. Food production (up 33%) and wood product manufacturing (up 30.6%) also had strong gains in the decade.
Manufacturing tends to play a larger role in Whatcom compared to the rest of the U.S., said Hart Hodges, director at the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University. While the Georgia-Pacific tissue mill was the dominant manufacturer here before it closed 20 years ago, this area still has several other industries that are doing well. Along with the refineries and food production companies, boat building remains a strong component.
At the end of 2019 manufacturing represented about 11% of the Whatcom non-farm workforce. Across the U.S., manufacturing jobs employs about 8.5% of the workforce and pays 12% more than other jobs, according to the website The Balance, which cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
When looking at the strong overall job growth numbers, keep in mind that some of it involved a job recovery following a recession. Washington state was losing jobs in 2008 and 2009. A job recovery didn’t start in Washington until February 2010, said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, a regional labor economist for the state.
The job growth also came at a time of rising population in Whatcom County. As of July 2019 Whatcom’s population was estimated at 225,685, up 12.2% compared to April 2010 according to the U.S. Census.
The Whatcom construction industry experienced a volatile decade, with its job recovery happening later than many other industries. At the end of 2009, Whatcom had around 7,100 construction jobs; that dipped down to 5,300 in the spring of 2011.
By the spring of 2018, the number of Whatcom construction jobs rose to 8,600, staying around that level until this past fall. By October the number of people in construction settled at 7,700.
Another sector experiencing solid job growth was in services, Vance-Sherman said. Despite the changes with online shopping, Whatcom added 1,400 retail jobs between October 2009 and October 2019.
Professional services like accountants gained 1,300 jobs between October 2009 and October 2019, while financial activities added 1,000 jobs. With the construction of many new hotels in Whatcom County, leisure and hospitality jobs increased by 1,800 during this period.
The public sector also saw an increase in jobs. According to the data, 1,300 state jobs were added, while local government added 900. The federal government did not increase its job levels in Whatcom County between October 2009 and 2019.
