Holding a mirror up to our Rock from the latest census data

I have spent time with demographic and economic data on our 2020 Census Rock.

During our January-June weather wave, I spent time indoors snuggling up with demographic and economic data on our 2020 Census Rock and other research.

What really struck me is this: We’ve added almost 11% more people to Island County over the past 10 years, but we’ve added less than 5% more housing.

That should tell you why homes have soared in value and rents have skyrocketed. And why our politicians are clamoring to say they’re really, really trying to add more affordable housing — with little noticeable results so far. The dwellings that have been built in the last 10 years are mainly new single-family homes at very high prices. If you look at all of the homes currently on our Rock, 81% of them are single family homes. That compares to 67% in Washington state. Only 11% of our homes are multi-family compared to 27% in the state. “Multi-family” is a polite euphemism for apartments, which some people prefer not to have in their neighborhood.

A few more demographics to make the image in the mirror a bit clearer. On the Rock, we are on average older than our state and nation: 44.1 in Island County, 37.8 in Washington, and 38.2 in the nation. And when you break down the age brackets on the island from north to south, the average in North Whidbey (thanks to the navy) is 32. Central Whidbey’s average is 55 and South Whidbey’s is 56. And if you dig even deeper by city, Clinton is the spot on the Rock, with an average age of 62. Langley is 57, Freeland is 55, Coupeville is 53, and Oak Harbor is 30.

We are evenly split between women and men, although to be precise, there are 0.2% more women than men here. There are 2.3 Rock residents per housing unit compared to 2.5 in the state and 2.6 in the country. And 61% of us are married — well above the national average of 53% and the state average of 42%. We really like to cuddle and share this beautiful place with our loved ones.

Our median household income is about $71,000 a year, less than the state average of $77,000 but well above the national average of $65,000. The percentage of people living in poverty is 7.6%, compared to 10.2% in the state and 12.8% in the country. Not as rich as the rest of our state but also not as poor.

Of course, it’s no surprise that the federal government is our Rock’s largest employer, with approximately 7,400 serving Navy personnel and 2,400 other civilian contractors. The largest private employer is Boeing with almost 900 employees living here, which explains the ever-growing backup of the Clinton ferry line. Oak Harbor Schools and WhidbeyHealth each have more than 700 employees, but after those two, the number of workers at other employers drops well below 200.

In other words, our Rock Economy is made up mostly of small businesses. And, if you shop enough, you’ll know it’s very true: there are almost as many small businesses owned by women as by men.

When analyzing our population by age groups, I was struck by something that affects the growth of our economy — or not. According to the last census, about 20% of us are between 1 and 20 years old. Another 25% is between 20 and 40. But then it goes down. Only 22% of us are between 40 and 60 years old. The remaining 33% are over 60 years old.

What this tells me is that people have reached a cement ceiling in terms of career advancement on our Rock. They get decent first jobs, but when it comes time for promotions and growth within an organization, that often doesn’t happen. The result? People in their 40s and 50s don’t live here. They moved for better jobs and better wages.

You won’t hear that from Navy contractors or Boeing workers, of course. But ask anyone else who works on the Rock. These people between the ages of 40 and 60 are generally those with the highest disposable income. Their disappearance deprives the rock economy of considerable local spending on shops and restaurants as well as charitable contributions, among others.

So maybe now all this data is making your eyes cross. All of these numbers paint a complex picture of where we live. The bottom line for me is this: for this beautiful island to remain as wonderful a place to live as we know it today, we need to find a way to accommodate more people without ruining the healthy and open rural environment that we like.

Harry Anderson is a retired journalist who worked for the Los Angeles Times and lives in Central Whidbey.