Greater Grays Harbor, Inc., (GGHI) held their State of Grays Harbor signature event at the Aberdeen Rotary Log Pavilion Tuesday morning. More than 40 local business and civic leaders sat in rapt attention as GGHI CEO Darrin Raines and several guest speakers presented key economic indicators and demographics that measure the prosperity of the Grays Harbor region.

William Westmoreland, CEO, Pacific Mountain Workforce Development; Dr. Carli Schiffner, President, Grays Harbor College; Kevin Decker, Coastal Economist, Washington Sea Grant; and Leonard Barnes, Executive Director, Port of Grays Harbor mixed news about wages, employment, retail sales, tourism, and real estate.

After opening remarks from La Marco Mitchell, senior community engagement manager at TwinStar Credit Union, Raines presented a 2024 year in review. Average annual wages in Grays Harbor were up, unemployment went down, the median home price went up , and taxable retail sales dipped slightly.

The 2025 Grays Harbor Economic Vitality Index (EVI) shows that Health Care and Social Assistance, Public Administration and Retail Trade are the top three employment sectors. The 20 industries measured employ more than 25,500 people who make an average annual salary of $54,329. Unemployment is highest in Farming, Fishing and Forestry; Food Preparation and Serving; and Transportation and Material Moving.

According to the EVI, “In 2024, Grays Harbor experienced a 1.67% increase in total jobs, totaling 25,579, up from 25,160 in 2023. The sectors that saw the most significant change included Public Administration, which added 214 jobs, Health Care with an increase of 235 jobs, and Manufacturing, which decreased by 49 jobs. Conversely, Accommodation and Food Services saw a decrease of 73 jobs during the same period.”

The real estate market shows an uptick of median home prices to $358,100 while existing home sales fell 16% to 1,560 in 2024, continuing a downward trend. Taxable retail sales slipped a little but still accounted for $1.78 billion. Ocean Shores showed the greatest growth in this metric, 11.35% to $202,246,888. Revenue attributed to hotel/motel tax revenues also dipped slightly but still accounted for $3.12 million. The EVI stated, “These revenues remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, with 2024 surpassing the 2019 figure of $2.30 million by approximately 35.7%.”

On the topic of Population, Education and Income, the EVI says, “The median age of Grays Harbor residents is 44.7 (based on 2023 estimates), which is older than the U.S. median age of 38.6.”

Sea Grant Washington’s Dr. Kevin Decker’s presentation indicated that Grays Harbor County has the most young working age people under 25 and between the ages of 25–64 and the fewest seniors (65+) compared to Clallam, Mason, Pacific, Jefferson and Wahkiakum counties. His presentation also stated that the Top 5 industries in Grays Harbor County are government, healthcare, education, retail and food services.

Leonard Barnes extolled the virtues of the Port of Grays Harbor, the Port’s seven lines of business, the Terminal 4 expansion and more. He stressed the importance of public/private partnerships and the job creation and economic development impact the Port has on the region.

Dr. Carli Schiffner discussed Grays Harbor College’s computer science degree pathway and the college’s partnership with South Puget Sound Community College, the school’s increased enrollment and media presence, and continued outreach efforts. Shiffner also mentioned that state and federal funding cuts are already impacting programs and staff including losing $225,000 for the Commercial Driver’s License program that has a 100% successful placement rate. She fears more cuts are coming and that could mean the loss of jobs for staff.

William Westmoreland said that the region has seen an increase in job applicants but those applicants lack the skills for the jobs they apply for and that job seekers are looking for less traditional employment. He said that PacMtn is seeing strong quarter over quarter wage growth but added that uncertainty with federal funding remains a challenge.

Quinault Corporate Enterprises (QCE) and Grays Harbor PUD also provided EVI inserts for the GGHI EVI packet. QCE reported revenue generation of more than $150 million and $50 million in salaries, while Grays Harbor PUD employs 169 people and serves 45,561 customers.

Civic and business leaders attended the GGHI State of Grays Harbor event at the Aberdeen Rotary Log Pavilion. ( Jerry Knaak / The Daily World )

President of Grays Harbor College Dr. Carli Schiffner addresses assembled guests at the GGHI State of Grays Harbor event. ( Jerry Knaak / The Daily World )