State of Grays Harbor a cornerstone event for GGHI

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Welcome to summer, I hope you had a safe and fun Independence Day weekend with family and friends.

There are several fun events coming up around Grays Harbor County, and you can find some of them here on our Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. website at Event List | Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. If you know of an event you would like us to place on our website calendar, please give us a call at 360-532-7888.

What we have been up to:

We held our 2025 State of Grays Harbor event on June 24 at the Rotary Log Pavilion in Aberdeen where we presented our 2025 Economic Vitality Index. This report can be found along with other Demographics and Reports at this link Demographics & Reports – Greater Grays Harbor.

I would like to thank the following speakers for presenting along with myself during the event:

Port of Grays Harbor — Leonard Barnes, Executive Director

Grays Harbor College — Dr. Carli Schiffner, President

Pacific Mountain Workforce Development — William Westmoreland, CEO

Washington Sea Grant — Dr. Kevin Decker, Coastal Economist

Here are just a few examples of the types of statistics you can find in our 2025 Economic Vitality Index:

Unemployment:

0.79% decrease in average unemployment rate from 2023 to 2024.

Average Unemployment Rate 2023: 6.3%

Average Unemployment Rate 2024: 6.25%

Taxable retail sales:

0.12% decrease from 2023 to 2024.

Taxable retail sales for Grays Harbor County decreased slightly to $1.78 billion in 2024, which represents a 0.12% decrease over the previous year.

Tourism:

In 2024, hotel/motel tax revenues totaled $3.12 million, reflecting a decrease of 1% to 2023’s $3.15 million.

Greater Grays Harbor Inc. would like to thank Quinault Corporate Enterprises as our EVI Report Sponsor, and TwinStar Credit Union as our Presenting Sponsor.

Upcoming events:

July 22 — GGHI Business Forum Lunch: Coastal Development Updates & Flood Control Efforts 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

July 28 — GGHI Member Ribbon Cuttings – Beyond Travel noon to 12:25 p.m.; CAMP Photo Studio Grand Opening 1 to 1:25 p.m.; Primal Fitness 1:30 to 2 p.m.

New membership opportunity:

Are you interested in becoming a member of Greater Grays Harbor Inc., but are you not associated with a business? We are now providing a new opportunity for Individual Memberships for $150 per year. This membership is for individuals, not businesses, and provides an individual with the opportunity to attend our GGHI events at reduced prices.