In Our View: County Beats the Average

Clark County Commissioner David Madore likes to makes proclamations that his is the best county in the state, or the best county on the West Coast or, we wouldn’t be surprised, the best county in the Milky Way.

And who are we to argue? While Madore might have a penchant for hyperbole, we have to agree with him on this one. We kind of like it here. So, as we celebrate the area’s natural beauty and the joys of living within shouting distance of the mountains and the coast, as we rejoice in the mild climate that makes our region lush with greenery, and as we laud a populace that cherishes friendliness, let us take a little time to note some recently revealed statistics that color this portrait of Clark County.

Produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, the latest numbers show, for example, that incomes in Clark County are higher than the national average (but slightly lower than the statewide average). Using a collective five-year snapshot from 2009 through 2013, the Census Bureau calculated that the county’s median household income was $58,225 — about $5,000 more than the annual national median of $53,046. OK, so we’re no city of Falls Church, Va., which for some reason counts as a county and has a median household income of $121,250. And we aren’t any of the five other counties from the Washington, D.C., area that rank among the 10 wealthiest in the nation — which probably says a lot about where our tax dollars go. Then again, if we wanted to live in the D.C. area we would move there, but we like mild climates, not hot air.

In fact, we like Southwest Washington so much that we are willing to go to great lengths and pay a little extra to live here. Only 33 percent of Clark County residents were born in Washington, while 59 percent of people nationally live in their birth state. Meanwhile, Clark County residents have an average monthly mortgage of $1,701, while the national average is $1,540; average rent is $941, compared with the national mark of $904. Irish songwriter/novelist Samuel Lover once wrote, “Come live in my heart, and pay no rent,” and while the sentiment is enticing, it does cost Clark County residents a bit extra to live where their heart is.

Not that all is honey and roses in this part of the world. Among the more revealing statistics are those involving education. In Clark County, 91.3 percent of adults age 25 and older have graduated high school, which exceeds the statewide percentage of 90 percent. Yet only 26 percent of locals have attained at least a bachelor’s degree — well below the statewide average of 31.9 percent. Part of the reason is that, for years, Southwest Washington did not have a college that offered four-year degrees; the continued growth of Washington State University Vancouver will make a bachelor’s degree more attainable for local residents who don’t have the means or the desire to leave the area for college. And part of the reason is a lack of high-tech and other industries that attract highly educated employees to the area. Regardless of the reasons, the situation is problematic if Clark County wishes to develop a strong, sustainable economic base — producing and attracting educated workers is crucial for such development.

Beyond that, a look at the numbers might lead one to think that the people of Clark County are perfectly average. Our median age is 37, while the national average is 37.3; and our average commute to work is 24.9 minutes, while the average in Washington is 25.7 minutes.

Yep, perfectly average. Except for the part about being the best county in the state.