Jay Blake, planning manager for Clatsop County, told the Astoria City Council on Jan. 6 that the county’s Economic Opportunities Analysis, or EOA, identifies housing affordability, a shortage of child-care options and relatively low wages as the main obstacles to long-term economic growth.

The EOA “is essentially a county plan for the future of the economy of the county,” Blake said, and the county cannot carry it out without input from municipalities, businesses and residents.

Blake said Clatsop County’s unemployment rate is about 4 percent but is volatile because of seasonality and changes to resource industries, and that wage levels in the county are well below the state average. The county’s population is older than the Oregon average, and the area has a higher homelessness rate than the state, he said.

Blake summarized results from a public questionnaire completed last summer by 184 respondents and two public open houses. Respondents cited natural beauty, beaches and safety as reasons to live in the county, Blake said, and listed housing availability and cost as the top two challenges facing the local economy.

“Housing, housing, housing,” Blake said. “Housing is one of the critical issues for our county. Having the right mix, the right location and the affordability” must be part of future planning.

Blake also highlighted other constraints and opportunities: a notable shortage of child-care facilities that limits residents’ ability to work; external pressures on resource-based industries including changes in forestry and fisheries policy and wastewater rules; and the effects of FEMA’s buyout program and a related “biological opinion” that reduce availability of employment lands in flood-prone areas.

Blake cited 2022 MIT estimates about local living wages, saying a single-earner household with one child would need $37.84 per hour to meet a living-wage threshold in Clatsop County; in a two-worker household with two children the estimate is $26.79 per worker. He warned that most of the fastest-growing job categories in northwest Oregon do not pay living wages: “Of the fastest growing jobs, 2 out of 20 pay living wages,” he said.

The EOA identifies four target sectors the county plans to pursue with local partners: a blue marine economy tied to water‑related research and training; health care and wellness; construction and trades; and food production and processing. Blake said the county is already working with the Port and Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center on marine economy development, and that two independent health systems operating in the county create potential for health-sector expansion.

Blake asked city leaders to participate as the county refines goals, policies and action steps. He said the county will publish a revised EOA draft in February and expects to bring the plan to public hearings in April or May.

Councilors asked clarifying questions. Councilor Davis asked why undeveloped lands in unincorporated Clatsop County are limited despite appearances; Blake said state planning regulations and extensive acreage zoned for agriculture and forestry—about 85 percent of county land—prevent those areas from being converted readily to industrial or commercial uses. Councilor Adams reiterated housing and wage concerns as the primary economic threats, and Councilor Andrea Mazzarella asked whether the survey and comment period remain open; Blake said the formal questionnaire is closed but staff continue to solicit input and are incorporating public comments into the next draft.

Blake left the council with a one-page summary and a link to the draft EOA and asked residents to submit ideas for the February revision.