HOOD RIVER — As with any community, Hood River has issues that continually concern both residents and local government officials. One such issue is the way the county’s high cost of living could impact industries and workforces.

A recent symposium put on by Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) highlighted a large increase in leisure and hospitality jobs between August 2023-2024 in Hood River County, while also noting a large decrease in manufacturing and professional services, according to the State of Oregon Employment Department.

Though Hood River seems to be driven by agriculture and tourism, these industries do not make up most wage sources in the county. Only 10% of county wages come from leisure and hospitality jobs while 8% come from crop production. What’s more, manufacturing jobs make two times more than leisure and hospitality jobs and professional and business service jobs make three times as much.

Hood River County Commissioner Arthur Babitz noted these year-over-year job changes at a recent county board meeting, stating that these changes are “precisely what we’ve been afraid of in terms of the difficulty in finding housing that would cause us to lose the high-paying jobs.” Chair Jennifer Euwer agreed that this needs to be addressed and better understood before it threatens the economic wellbeing of the county.

Babitz explained that high housing costs can potentially push businesses to relocate or expand in places where cost of living is more attainable for entry-level employees. “I’ve been saying for years that a community without housing for people starting a career or starting a family is a dying community,” he wrote.

However, Babitz elaborated that it is uncertain if there is a direct connection between the cost of housing and the decline in higher paying jobs, though he pursued more details on the data from MCEDD Executive Director Jessica Metta and state economists.

Hood River City Councilor Megan Saunders also mentioned Babitz’s comments at a city meeting, speculating that these changes come “likely as a result of our housing costs.” She noted that the data is interesting though it does not come as a surprise.

The board of commissioners discussed revisiting this issue, and one of the city’s goals continues to be creating more affordable housing.