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November 5, 2009
Unemployment: Hatteras Island has some of the highest rates in the state
By SANDY SEMANS Outer Banks Sentinel  The
state of Dare County's economy is a classic example of whether one
chooses to view the glass half empty or half full -- or acknowledge the
fact that there's plenty of room for improvement.The slowdown in construction, real estate sales and tourism which make up the meat and potatoes of Dare County's economy have severely impacted businesses across the county. In September, according to the Employment Security Commission, Dare County's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent -- up from 4.2 percent reported for September, 2008. That's a 38 percent increase over last year in the first month of the fall shoulder season. But it is less than the statewide rate of 10.8 percent which is up 37 percent compared to September, 2008. The national rate, reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, was 9.8 -- up 3.6 points from September, 2008 - a 36.7 percent increase. Based on statistics provided by the Labor Market Division of the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, the September unemployment rate for the area of Dare County north of Oregon Inlet is 6 percent. Although the rate is higher than previous years, it is one of the lowest in the state for September. None of the statistics provided by the state have been seasonally adjusted. That's the good news. The unofficial estimates paint a bleak picture of Hatteras Island where some of the villages have among the highest unemployment rates in the state. The island also has long depended on construction, real estate, and tourism as well as its reputation for being a prime fishing destination for beach fishing via off-road vehicles. According to many, the impact of off-road vehicle closures on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the related bad publicity have added to the economic woes. Beach closures resulting from a consent decree which went into effect in May, 2008 have closed two of the favorite beach fishing spots to beach driving for most of the spring and summer while bird and turtles are nesting in the area. After failing at negotiated rulemaking attempts, the NPS is currently working on a long-term management plan which is mandated by the decree to be published as a final rule by April 1, 2011. "I believe it [ORV closures] has a direct impact on our economy," said Danny Couch, owner of the Hatteras Tours, a bus tour company that serves areas both north and south of Oregon Inlet. "And we are dealing with a severe PR problem. We tell them to check out the NPS [National Park Service] Web site to see what is open but what they are hearing is that the beaches are closed. It's sort like when the Bonner bridge was hit and USA today reported that the bridge to the Outer Banks was out." At the request of the Sentinel, the Labor Market Division provided a breakdown of unemployment on Hatteras Island by zip code. Asked why two villages showed no unemployment, the division responded with a notation from the Census Bureau which does the sampling that provides the basis for the formulation of the unemployment estimates. It states: "To maintain confidentiality, the Census Bureau applies statistical procedures that introduce some uncertainty into data for small geographic areas with small population groups. The census results in this table contain sampling error and nonsampling error." As a result, Frisco and Waves were the two villages with no unemployment estimates. However, the island as a whole is estimated to have had 12.8 percent unemployment in September. The highest reported was in Salvo at 28 percent; Buxton unemployment was 16.5 percent; and Rodanthe was 12.4. Hatteras village was reported to be 4.7 percent in September. "I can feel the frustration and desperation of the people," said Couch, "but this is the second year of this, and we probably have another year to go." And that's the bad news. There is definitely room for improvement. There's plenty of room in the glass. (This article was written by Outer Banks Sentinel Editor Sandy Semans and is reprinted with permission. To reach her: sandy@obsentinel.com. For more Outer Banks news, go to http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/) |
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