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' CHAPTERTHREE Attecteu Environment <br />' 3.14.2 Local Economic Setting <br />The following description of the study azea economy is based on economic data provided by <br />' Federal, state, and local agencies and is supplemented by interviews with key agency personnel. <br />Selected portions of the Yankee Gulch Commercial Mine Plan were also relied upon in preparing <br />this description. <br />' 3.14.2.1 Rio Blanco County <br />Like several western slope counties, Rio Blanco County has experienced economic swings over <br />the past two decades. In the late 1970's and early ] 980's, the county underwent strong economic <br />growth due to the exploration of oil shale and natural gas resources. From 1983 to 1990, the <br />' collapse in the oil shale industry and the associated slowdown in energy exploration resulted in <br />higher unemployment and economic hardship for some area communities. For example, between <br />' 1980 and 1990, average annual county "covered" employment dropped from 3,456 individuals to <br />2,418, a decrease of neazly one-third. Over the same period, statewide "covered" employment <br />increased by 23 percent. The 1997 county unemployment rate was approximately 4 percent. The <br />' 1990 unemployment rate was 4.2 percent (CDLG 1998c). <br />In J 980, one-half of total county employment was associated with mining. By 1990, this ratio <br />had decreased to only 28 percent and, in 1997, mining employment had further declined to just <br />' over 20 percent of all jobs. In recent yeazs, the economy of Rio Blanco County has diversified, <br />reflecting increased tourism and more government support. Between 1990 and 1997, service <br />t related county employment (which includes tourism, entertainment and recreation) increased by <br />almost 60 percent. By comparison, Colorado service employment grew by 47 percent. The <br />Bureau of Economic Analysis projects that by the yeaz 2020, total employment in Rio Blanco <br />County would increase by only 5 percent but that state employment would increase by 27 percent <br />(BEA 1997). Total 1997 county wages totaled $65 million ($26,000 per worker), somewhat less <br />than the 1997 statewide average of $30,000. The 1997 average county wage for mining jobs was <br />approximately $45,000 and the statewide mining average for that yeaz was $58,000 (CDLE <br />.1997). <br />' 3.14.2.2 Ganfeld County <br />Garfield County has also experienced significant economic swings since the 1970's and was also <br />1 affected by the slowdown in energy development. However, unlike Rio Blanco County, Garfield <br />County has subsequently benefited from the growth in tourism and the development of <br />Battlement Mesa as a retirement community. Economic benefits of tourism have included <br />' revenue from lodging, restaurants and other traveler services located along Interstate 70. <br />Because of this diversification, the 1980 county unemployment rate of 5.3 percent dropped to <br />' only 3.8 percent in 1997 (CDLE 1997). The economy of Garfield County is now heavily reliant <br />on tourism, with 25 percent of total employment in the service sector and 29 percent in <br />retaiUwholesale trade. Fourteen percent of all 1997 jobs were associated with the construction <br />' sector. Between 1980 and 1997, total service related jobs grew by more than 8 percent per yeaz, <br />' Socioeconomics 3-55 <br />