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Staff presents Bartlett economic indicators showing strong industrial jobs and retail 'leakage'
Summary
At the June 8 Community and Economic Affairs Commission meeting, staff summarized annual economic indicators: strong industrial employment and low industrial vacancy, a commercial vacancy rate reported at 8%, rising diversity and household metrics used to market Bartlett to businesses.
Staff presented the village’s annual economic-indicators report, highlighting robust industrial employment, a steady commercial vacancy rate and demographic shifts that factor into business recruitment. Tony, the commission’s presenter, said the reports condense larger data sources such as CAP and a paid JobsEQ subscription used through Choose DuPage.
The most immediate takeaway, Tony said, was that Bartlett’s industrial sector is effectively full and has been a long-standing strength for the village, while retail shows measurable "leakage" to larger retail centers. He reported a commercial vacancy rate of 8 percent and said industrial vacancy is ‘‘almost no vacancy’’; he added that a CVS location accounts for a visible portion of the recent 1 percentage-point change in the villagewide vacancy calculation.
Why it matters: staff said the indicators inform outreach to brokers and site selectors and guide local economic-development priorities. Tony described Bartlett’s labor force at about 23,951, roughly 11,000 jobs located in the village, and a resident population in the low 40,000s; he also reported a median age of 41.3 and said the village is becoming more diverse, with an Asian Indian population that has more than doubled since 2005 and a Hispanic share now over 10 percent.
Staff noted sector strengths with site-selection implications: food manufacturing is particularly concentrated—about 4.5 times the expected level for a town Bartlett’s size—along with wholesale trade and a notable presence of electronics/component manufacturing. Major employers cited included Greco, ITW and McKesson, and car dealerships were identified as large sales-tax generators.
Commissioners asked about methods for measuring retail leakage and for attracting retailers. Tony said the village uses CAP data, JobsEQ and a subscription leakage tool (referred to as S3) to quantify leakage by category (electronics and clothing among the largest). He said staff conducts broker outreach and sends broker blasts; staff also highlighted planned development at Deon and Prospect (first phase: a Learning Experience daycare) that could add small retail and restaurant opportunities.
The commission did not take formal policy action on the items during this meeting; staff said the indicators will feed ongoing strategy and potential future TIFF marketing proposals.
