Residents divided on financial health

Are residents of the San Juan Islands in better financial shape today than they were five years ago?

About half of respondents to a countywide online poll say “yes,” the other half say “no.”

A one-week poll on www.sanjuanjournal.com, www.islandssounder.com and www.islandsweekly.net asked readers whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “My financial situation is better than it was five years ago.”

All told, 127 agreed with the statement, 104 did not; five had no opinion.

Specifically, respondents said:

— Strongly agree: 73

— Somewhat agree: 54

— No opinion: 5

— Somewhat disagree: 37

— Strongly disagree: 67

Although not a scientific poll, the responses seem to jibe with the growing income gap on the islands. In 2000, the average price of a home in San Juan County was $350,000, yet the average individual working wage was $19,546 a year, according to the San Juan Community Home Trust.

A housing study published by the Town of Friday Harbor shows an increasing gap between the affluent and the working class.

Sixty percent of San Juan Island’s workforce is employed in retail or service, the study said. In retail, the average wage is $15,050 a year; in service, it’s $17,914, not including tips.

In Friday Harbor, the median family income is $51,796; the median household income for non-families is $39,958.

In San Juan County, 49 percent of all personal income in 1997 was derived from investments; 38 percent was derived from earned income. Statewide, an average of 17 percent of residents live on investment income; 69 percent live on earned income.

In the county, the median family income is $54,351; the median household income for non-families is $47,669. However, the average annual wage is $23,171, fifth-lowest in the state and far below the state average of $37,430.

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