By Matt Matayoshi, Executive Director

Mason County’s economy is stronger then it has been in several years. The county continues to follow state and national trends for increased employment opportunities and decreased unemployment rates. A good economic indicator to track is our large employers. The Economic Development Council recently completed the 2006 employment survey of top 50 employers in the County. Our top ten employers are in the manufacturing, government, aquaculture, medical, retail, and tourism (casino/resort) sectors.

Out of these sectors, the highest wages are found in manufacturing and government. Manufacturing is the highest paying private employment sector with an average wage of $37,390 a year. Companies such as Simpson Timber Company, Olympic Panel Products, and Mason County Forest Products are some of the largest employers. The future for manufacturing in Mason County is bright with Simpson Timber Company reinvesting $22 million in the Shelton waterfront and Mason County Forest Products starting up two mills in the last two years, employing over 190 people. These manufacturing investments are significant indicators that, as other rural communities have seen a decline in manufacturing over the last few decades; Mason County has experienced a reversal in the trend as manufacturing has rebounded since 2000. Another sector that has historically and continues to be a large employer is government. Government wages tend to pay well above the county average, bringing in an average wage of $39,395 a year. One important point to consider is that an economy that is heavily based on this sector will have challenges expanding since growth is limited. Future growth in this sector may come from state government particularly Washington Corrections Center. It is projected that both manufacturing and government will continue to be large employers in Mason County.

Our number one employer, The Little Creek Casino and Hotel, has been experiencing significant growth. It currently employs 611 employees and there are plans to expand lodging, build an 18 hole golf course, and construction of an events center is already underway. These new investments add up to $30 million in new investment. Little Creek Casino and Hotel represents a growing tourism industry in Mason County. The average wage for this sector is $22,865 a year according to Washington State Labor Market and Economic Analysis. The activity at Little Creek and in the tourism sector will be interesting to follow as it continues to expand.

As these sectors and other areas of the economy grow, it has an effect on unemployment rates. The unemployment rate for 2005 for Mason County was 6%. This is significant for a community that saw its unemployment level at 7.4% in 2000. This drop in unemployment over the last five years is part of a rebound from a period of stagnant economic activity. As our economy has grown aggressively, Mason County experienced a large 1.4% drop in unemployment. This follows the State average unemployment rate of 5% in 2000 and 5.5% in 2005. Rural counties such as Mason County tend to have a higher then average unemployment rate compared to the State. Historically, Mason County’s unemployment rate has followed the state by about 1.3%. Today that gap is closing with the difference between the State and County unemployment rates at only 0.5%. This may be attributed to increase in employment opportunities in the County and outside of the community as well. Commuters make up about 43% of the workforce. If a significantly increased number of employment opportunities become available in Mason County, it is anticipated that this trend will change.

The economy of Mason County is strong and continues to become stronger. It is anticipated that this year we will experience steady growth and that we will see similar trends of historically low unemployment rates and an optimistic economic outlook. We can plan on continued steady job and business growth. It should be an overall positive year economically for Mason County.

1. Little Creek Casino & Hotel

2. Washington Corrections Center

3. Shelton School District

4. Wal-Mart

5. Mason General Hospital

6. Mason County

7. Simpson Timber Company

8. Taylor Shellfish, Inc.

9. Olympic Panel Products

10. North Mason School District

11. Squaxin Indian Tribe

12. Mason County Forest Products

13. Welco - Skookum Lumber Co.

14. Fir Lane Health & Rehabilitation

15. Island Enterprises

16. Skokomish Indian Tribe

17. City of Shelton

18. Mason County PUD #3

19. Pioneer School District

20. Sims Vibration Laboratory

21. Safeway

22. Alpine Way Retirement

23. Fred Meyer Marketplace

24. Alderbrook Resort & Spa

25. Stretch Island Fruit

26. Catholic Community Services

27. Green Diamond Resource Co.

28. Simpson Community Credit Union

29. Exceptional Foresters, Inc.

30. Mason Transit

31. Shelton Health & Rehabilitation

32. Peninsula Community Credit Union

33. Techwood

34. Hood Canal School District

35. Shelton Family Medical

36. Washington DSHS

37. QFC

38. Olympic Tool & Engineering

39. Brady Trucking

40. Sensaria Natural Body Care

41. Lumbermen's

42. Shelton Post Office

43. Belco Forest Products

44. Hiawatha Corporation

45. Manke Lumber Company

46. Gillis Auto Center

47. Camco, Inc.

48. Shelton-Mason County Journal

49. Gerbings Heated Clothing

50. Providence Sound Home Care