Census: More islanders are working from home

By Kate Reardon

Herald Writer

ISLAND COUNTY — Barbara Bailey is always in the middle of something.

"You never ever, ever stop until your head drops on the pillow," she said, of working from home. "When you’re not working, you’re not making money. You have to be very disciplined to make it work."

Bailey, who runs Bailey and Associates business consulting, lives on Whidbey Island just north of Oak Harbor.

She is just one of the 1,800 people living in Island County who work from home, according to data for Washington state released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 700 more people today in Island County work from home than did 10 years ago during the 1990 census.

Bailey said she’s not surprised, given the number of artists and writers on Whidbey Island.

"It’s a wonderful place to pursue those kinds of industries," she said. "This is kind of the best of both worlds. Some people come here for the beauty and serenity of the island and when you get it, it’s inspiring to go ahead and do some things that you’ve always wanted to do."

Numbers show residents are better educated than they were 10 years ago, household incomes have risen 19.7 percent and home values have increased 29.6 percent after adjusting for inflation.

On average, Island County residents spend about 29 minutes getting to work, but Camano Island residents drive, on average, 43 minutes to work.

"I see Camano as our bedroom community," County Commissioner Mac McDowell said. "It’s close enough to the I-5 corridor."

Even so, residents in Langley and Clinton are spending more than 30 minutes getting to work.

That says people want to live in a more pristine area with waterfront property and mountain views and are willing to face a longer commute, he said.

Oak Harbor residents, on average, spend just more than 18 minutes getting to work.

The new data comes from the 2000 Census long form, which was received by one in six households and about 1 million people in this state.

The long form contained 53 questions asking for a variety of information including income to commute times and asked people to estimate their own home values.

Island County, with an average home value of $174,800, was the fourth highest-ranking county in the state behind King, San Juan and Snohomish counties.

The average home value was $256,700 in Clinton and $212,800 in Langley compared with $151,600 in Oak Harbor.

"Prices on houses in Oak Harbor are set by what the Navy (families) can afford," McDowell said. "A higher percentage of houses in Clinton are on the water."

The percentage of families in poverty in Island County dropped slightly from 5.4 percent in 1990 to 5.1 percent in 2000. The percentage of families with children living below the poverty level stayed roughly the same during that time.

You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.

For a more detailed list of Census 2000 statistics on cities and towns in Island and Snohomish counties, see page B2. Or look up your own community at www.census.gov.