Warren and Washington Counties

This metro area has roughly 129,000 residents, based on the 2010 Census, and the population is nearly evenly split between Warren and Washington counties. Over the past decade, the population of both counties expanded by slightly under 4 percent, which is below the nationwide pace but nearly double the state-wide growth rate. Both counties are largely rural, though Warren includes the city of Glens Falls, as well as the resort of Lake George. The metro area is somewhat below the state-wide average in terms of both income and educational attainment: median household income was roughly $48,000 in 2009, and only 22 percent of adults held college degrees. However, a much higher proportion of adults hold college degrees in Warren County than in Washington. The area's demographic profile is not all that diverse: the proportions of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are all well below the national and statewide averages.

Washington County is largely an industrial based economy, with manufacturing accounting for more than one in four jobs. Warren County is more of a resort destination, with some farming. The primary manufacturing industries in the metro area are surgical and medical instruments, minerals, wood products and paper (based on its proximity to the Adirondack forest). In addition, tourism accounts for a large part of business—particularly in Warren County, where accommodation, food services, arts and recreation together account for nearly one out of five jobs. During the economic downturn, employment fell by roughly 5 percent, before leveling off during 2010.

Over the 2007-09 period, the median home value was reported to be nearly $185,000 in Warren County and $143,000 in Washington—moderately below the nationwide median and well below the state-wide median. During the 2000-2006 housing boom, home prices in this metro area more than doubled—roughly in line with nationwide trends; home prices began to fall starting in late 2007 and were down 20 percent from their peak as of the end of 2010¹.

Recent Trends
In the first half of 2011, the job market in the Glens Falls area continued to weaken: private-sector employment drifted down further, running modestly lower than in 2010, while government job losses have been especially steep. Employment in the manufacturing and leisure & hospitality sectors has been relatively steady, and health & education service firms have added jobs; however, most other sectors have seen declining employment. Home prices turned up moderately in the first half of 2011 but remained roughly 15 percent below their 2007 peak.

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¹Trends in home prices referred to here are all based on repeat-sales indexes from CoreLogic.

	Glens Falls MSA*: selected characteristics
		Population in 2010			% of 2010 Population that is1
		Total Population1	% Change from 20001	per Sq. Mile2	Black	Hispanic	Asian
	Glens Falls Metro Area	128,923	3.7	76	1.9	2.0	0.6
	Warren	65,707	3.8	76	0.9	1.8	0.7
	Washington	63,216	3.6	76	3.0	2.3	0.4
	New York State	19,378,102	2.1	410	15.9	17.6	7.3
	USA	308,745,538	9.7	87	12.6	16.3	4.8

	Glens Falls MSA*: selected characteristics
		Median		% of Homes	% of Adults with5
		Household Income3	Home Value4	Owner Occupied4	College Degrees	HS Degrees
	Glens Falls Metro Area	$48,226	$163,400	71.0	21.9	87.6
	Warren	$50,344	$184,400	69.5	26.2	89.2
	Washington	$46,729	$142,700	72.7	17.4	85.9
	New York State	$54,659	$310,000	55.4	31.8	84.2
	USA	$50,221	$191,900	66.4	27.5	84.6
* Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are metro areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget for use by federal statistical agencies. 1 Source: US Bureau of the Census, decennial Census of Population. 2 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population; land area data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s geographic database (TIGER® database) for Census 2000. 3 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey, 2009 (1-year estimates) 4 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey, 2007-09 (3-year estimates) 5 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey, 2006-08 (3-year estimates)

September 2011