The Poorest Town in Washington: What You Need to Know About It? One in ten household in Washington State earns more than 82,400 dollars a year but not every town in the state is that rich. According to a review site for security products called SafeWise, Oroville is the poorest town in Washington.
Oroville is in Okanogan County, near the Canadian border. It has the lowest median household income of any municipality in Washington with a population of 25,000 or greater. Why is Oroville so impoverished, and how does that impact its citizens? Let’s investigate further.
The Disparities in Washington’s Median Household Income
With an average household income of $82,400, Washington State is a state with plenty of money. However, this wealth is not evenly distributed across all the towns in Washington State. According to SafeWise, one of the most trusted review sites dedicated to reviewing security products, the poorest town in Washington State is Oroville.
Oroville is in Okanogan County, near the border with Canada. It has the state’s lowest median household income of towns with 25,000 or more inhabitants.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s causing Oroville’s economic problems and how they affect the people who live there.
SafeWise’s Methodology to Rank the Poorest Towns
SafeWise uses the 2019 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau to identify and rank the poorest towns in each state.
To do this, they find the median household income for each town then they arrange the towns from lowest to highest income. There are only towns with at least 25,000 people who are included in the study. These towns also give the FBI full crime data.
According to SafeWise, the median household income is the point in the income distribution at which half of the households earn more than the median and the other half earn less.
This calculation does not include income from outside of the home, such as investments or government benefits.
Oroville’s Economic Challenges
Oroville is a small town that has about 1,700 people. It has an interesting and long history dating back to 1892, and Oroville became famous as a mining and farming center during the early 1900s.
It also leads to a number of recreational areas such as Osoyoos Lake, Okanogan River, and Similkameen Trail.
The median household income in Oroville is far much lower than in most towns around Washington and the country.
The median household income in Oroville stands at only $32,083 a year, much less compared to the $82,400 average in Washington and the $69,021 average across the country. Most homes in Oroville make less than $32,083 a year, meaning more than half of them.
Oroville is so poor due to several factors, including:
Not Many Economic Opportunities. Oroville does not have many industries or businesses which earn much money.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most common jobs in Oroville are those who work in farming, fishing, and forestry, and those who manufacture and prepare food. Because these jobs generally do not require the same amount of education or skill, they also pay lower.
High: The Oroville area has an unemployment rate of 10.3%, well over the California state average at 6.0% as well as the national average of 5.4%. B. Unemployment is high: With higher unemployment, people’s incomes tend to plummet, making them more susceptible to government assistance.
Cost of Living: The cost of living index in Oroville is 96.8, a little lower than the national average of 100 and higher than the state average of 94.93.
The cost of living index reveals how much it costs to stay in a particular area through housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and utilities. When this is more that the starting point, the ability to spend and save money will be lost.
Improving Oroville’s Economic Outlook
Oroville need not continue to be the poorest town in Washington. There are various things that the town and its people can do to raise incomes and improve quality of life:
Diversify Economic Opportunities: Oroville could get more industries and businesses that offer better pay like that of tourism, technology, health, education, or the arts.
Another could be to support booming industries, such as mining, farming, or manufacturing which still has huge room for growth.
Combating Unemployment and Workforce: It is critical to implement policies and programs that would significantly reduce unemployment and bring people to work.
This may include job training, educational programs, help finding a job, and awards for hiring locals. Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship and making infrastructure better are also things that could be looked into.
Affordability Measures: Oroville might want to reduce the cost of living and make things more affordable.
This could mean making more affordable housing available, lowering taxes and fees, giving discounts and subsidies for basic goods and services, and making public spaces and amenities better.
Conclusion
SafeWise looked at Census data and found that Oroville has the lowest median household income of any town in Washington. Large parts of this economic inequality can be traced back to a lack of jobs, high unemployment rates, and high living costs.
Yet Oroville could expand and improve on itself. The potential of Oroville is furthered by expanding business opportunities, resulting in unemployment decrease and making housing more affordable.
