Waukon Works Committee hears Communities to Community project update

by Bob Beach

The Waukon Works Committee gathered with Waukon area residents and business owners Tuesday evening, July 30 at the Waukon Wellness Center to listen to a presentation by Biswa Das, an Iowa State University professor working with ISU Extension's Communities to Community project. Das said that he had collected and examined available data from various sources regarding Waukon's economics, demographics and retail trade. He said that it is his hope that the information presented would prove useful in developing a strategic plan for community and economic development within Waukon and the surrounding area.
Das said that, broadly speaking, his analysis of the available data suggests that Waukon and Allamakee County comprise a thriving community that offers a good quality of life, though economically speaking, struggling in some areas. For example, Das said that during the period of 2001 to 2011 employment in Waukon fell by six percent, while nationally employment rose by just over half of a percent. Mean annual earnings in Waukon of around $43,000 are also much lower than the national average of approximately $73,000 and the state average of $63,000. Additionally, Waukon's mean earnings are also lower than in Cresco ($52,000) and Emmetsburg ($55,000), both communities with the same population as Waukon.
Demographically speaking, Das noted that the population of rural communities has been steadily declining nationally, but in Allamakee County the population has remained stable for many years, declining at a much slower rate than the national trend. Das also noted housing structures in Waukon are not as old as those found in many rural communities, which is a strength of the community.
Das also found that Waukon is performing well in retail sales growth, while the rest of the county is lagging behind the state average. In fact, Das said that Waukon's retail numbers show an overall retail surplus of $13 million, suggesting that several retail sectors draw business from outside the area.
Das said that the results of his analyst could be found on the ISU Extension website and that a link would be added soon to the City of Waukon's website so that anyone interested could examine the data he collected.