 | ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Introduction
The
objective of this economic analysis is to gain an understanding of the
factors that affect the economic opportunity and the general welfare of
the citizens of the Town of Marbletown. The report will discuss the
regional and local factors relating to those activities providing
employ-ment and income for its citizens.
The Region
The Town of Marbletown is located in the center of the Mid-Hudson
Area. This area is defined by the New York State Department of Commerce
as the seven counties of Columbia, Dutchess, Green, Orange, Putnam,
Sullivan and Ulster. The area's key position between two large centers
of population and industry--the New York metropolitan region to the
south and the Albany -Schenectady-Troy metropolitan area to the north-
has stimulated substantial growth in recent years. Between 1950 and
1960, the Mid-Hudson Area grew in population by 23 percent--a rate
exceeding that of the nation, the State or any other upstate economic
area. Similarly, the economy has undergone significant change in the
past de-cade.
Traditionally the Mid-Hudson Area has depended on agriculture and
tourism for its economic vitality, but in recent years manufacturing
has begun to play an important role. In 1963, 1,100 establishments
re-ported $463 million in value added by manufacturing and employed
ap-proximately 60,000 persons--compared to $384 million and 59,100
em-ployed in 1958 and $181 million and 43,000 employed in 1947.
In 1954, Ulster County claimed 13.5 percent of the total value added by
manufacturing in the Mid-Hudson Area, and by 1958 this figure had risen
to 25.2 percent. In 1963 the percentage decreased to 21.2 percent even
though the value added by manufacture in Ulster County increased from
$96.9 million to over $98 million. The reason for this percentage
de-crease was the significant increase in Orange and Dutchess Counties
between 1958 and 1963.
Agriculture
continues to be an important segment of the economy of the Mid-Hudson
Area and Ulster County. Dairy and Poultry products lead in the farm
products sold in Ulster County, but the County is
best known for apples. Between 1959 and 1964 both the dairy and
poultry products and fruits and nuts crops sold increased by 1 million
dollars. In 1959, Ulster County ranked 8th of all the counties in the
nation in the quantity of apples harvested.
Tourism
and recreation facilities in the region are well known nation-wide.
The Catskills, Shawangunks and Palisades are major attractions
offering a whole range of activities. Heavy vacation spending has
resulted in high retail and service trade sales figures. An example of
the import-ance of tourism is illustrated by the fact that the total
receipts for hotels, motels, tourist courts and camps compared to total
sales for selected serv-ices as reported by the 1963 U. S. Census of
Business was 8 percent for the State of New York, but was 50% for the
Mid-Hudson Area and 60% for Ulster County.
Labor Force
The labor force is defined as the total number of persons 14 years
old and over who are employed or actively seeking employment. In 1960
the labor force was 1,164 of the total population of 3,191. The labor
force participation rate--the percentage of the total population 14
years old and over who are in the labor force--was 49.7%. This was a
smal-ler percentage than Ulster County (53.7%), the Mid-Hudson Area
(52.9%) and New York State (56.5%). One of the reasons for this
smaller per-centage is the fact that in 1960 the Town of Marbletown had
a higher per-centage of its population in the older age groups (55-64
and 65 & over). Within these age groups some persons may no longer
be employed or seeking employment and therefore do not constitute a
part of the parti-cipation rate.
Females accounted for 30.8% of the labor force in the Town of
Marble-town compared to 32.2% for Ulster County, 32.9% for the
Mid-Hudson Area and 34.5% for New York State. In general, a rural
community will tend to have a lower percentage of women in the labor
force than a more urbanized area.
The unemployment rate for the Town of Marbletown was 3.6% in 1960 which
was much less than the 6.0% in Ulster County, 5.5% for the Mid-Hudson
Area and 5.2% for New York State.
TABLE 1 : LABOR FORCE 1960 TOWN OF MARBLETOWN
Total population 14 years old & over 2,341
In labor force 1,164
% in labor force 49.7%
Total males 14 years old & over 1,124
In labor force 806
% in labor force 71.7%
Total females 14 years old & over 1,217
In labor force 358
% in labor force 29.4%
Total Employed Workers 1,123
Unemployed workers 41
% unemployment rate 3.6%
% of females in total labor force 30.8%
Source: Business Fact Book, 1963, Mid-Hudson Area, Part 2, New York State Department of Commerce
TABLE 2: OCCUPATION GROUPS 1960
(by percentage of employed persons)
Town of Marbletown Ulster County New York State
Professional, Technical 12.4% 13.9% 12.5%
Farmers, Farm Managers 8.3 2.6 0.9
Officials, Proprietors (excl. farm) 5.9 8.7 9.0
Clerical 14.2 12.7 18.1
Sales 3.1 5.9 7.3
Craftsmen, Foremen 17.0 13.8 12.4
Operatives 15.8 21.4 18.1
Service (private households) 3.4 1.9 2.1
Other Service 6.0 8.7 9.3
Laborers (incl. farm foremen) 9.2 6.1 4.2
NOTE: Percentages add to less than 100% because 'occupation not re-ported' is not included.
Source: Business Fact Book, 1963, Mid-Hudson Area, Part 2 New York State Department of Commerce
The
above table reflects the agricultural economy of the Town of
Marble-town. The occupation group of Farmers and Farm Managers and
Laborers (including farm foremen) were higher percentages of the total
employed persons in 1960 compared with Ulster County and New York
State. The occupation groups of Officials, Proprietors which includes
corporate management men, union officials, store owners, etc. ; Sales
Workers which include advertising agents, insurance brokers and
sales-men and the Operatives which includes apprentices, meat cutters,
welders, etc. were all lower percentages of the employed population
re-siding in the Town.
TABLE 3: CLASS OF WORKERS 1960
(by percentage of employed persons)
Town of Marbletown Ulster County New York State
Private Wage and Salary Workers 68.0% 72.8% 77.9%
Government Workers 13.0 12.0 11.7
Self-Employed Workers 18.0 13.9 9.8
Unpaid Family Workers 1.0 1.3 0.6
Source: Business Fact Book, 1963, Mid-Hudson Area, Part 2, New York State Department of Commerce
The
class of workers category, private wage and salary workers (persons who
worked for a private employer) was a lower percentage of the total
employed persons, while the category, self-employed (persons who worked
for a profit or fee in their own business, profession or trade or who
operated a farm) was a much higher percentage. This latter cate-gory
again reflects the influence of the agricultural economy on Town of
Marbletown.
TABLE 4: INDUSTRY GROUPS, 1960
(by percentage of employed persons)
Town of Marbletown Ulster County New York State
Manufacturing, Durable 26.4% 21.4% 14.0%
Manufacturing, Non-Durable 5.0 12.4 14.6
Wholesale Trade 1.7 2.5 4.4
Retail Trade 10.8 14.2 13.9
Agriculture 15.0 5.0 1.8
Mining - 0.3 0.2
Construction 7.5 7.0 4.9
Business, Repair Services 1.8 2.1 3.2
Personal Services 5.6 6.1 5.4
Professional, Related Services 12.1 12.1 12.8
Entertainment & Recreation n. a. 0.5 1.0
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate n. a. 2.8 6.2
Transportation, Communications, Utilities 3.2 6.4 7.7
Public Administration 2.8 3.7 4.8
Industry Not Reported 8.0* 3.8 5.3
n. a. - not available
* Includes entertainment and recreation and finance, insurance, real estate.
Source: Business Fact Book, 1963, Mid-Hudson Area, Part 2, New York State Department of Commerce
Industry
groups of employed persons in the above table are classified by the
business of their principal employer as opposed to occupation groups
(Table 3) which are based on the duties of the employed worker and not
on the class of his employer nor on the industry in which his employee
is classified.
Again the agricultural economy of the Town is reflected by the fact
that 15% of the employed workers were in the agriculture group. This
is three times higher than the percentage for Ulster County and eight
times higher than New York State.
The Town also had a higher percentage of employed persons in the
manu-facturing, durable category which includes industries using such
relatively permanent materials as wood, metal and ceramics. A lower
percentage were in the manufacturing, non-durable, wholesale and retail
trade.
Personal Services, that category which generally reflects the
importance of resort activities was approximately the same as Ulster
County and New York State.
Income
The distribution of family income reflects the type of employment
and the extent of employment. It is also an index of the purchasing
power of the residents. The median family income in the Town of
Marbletown in 1959 was $4,989. This was lower than Ulster County
($5,746) and New York State ($6,371).
TABLE 5: INCOME OF FAMILIES 1959
(by percentage of families)
Town of Marbletown Ulster County New York State
Under $2,000 11.2% 10.0% 7.7%
$ 2,000- 3,999 24.4 17.5 14.4
$ 4,000- 5,999 23.6 26.1 23.6
$ 6,000- 7,999 21.6 21.2 21.1
$ 8,000- 9,999 9.2 11.6 13.3
$10,000-14,999 5.9 10.2 13.2
$15,000-24,999 3.3 2.2 4.8
$25,000 & over 0.8 1.1 1.9
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME $4,989 $5,746 $6,371
No. of Families 917 30,604 4,336,041
Source: Business Fact Book, 1963, Mid-Hudson Area, Part 2, New York State Department of Commerce
Table
5 indicates that a much higher percentage of families had incomes of
less than $4,000 in 1959 compared to Ulster County and New York State.
A lower percentage of families had incomes of $8,000 and over.
The higher number of families in the lower income groups is at least
partially attributable to the high number of persons in the 55-64 and
65 & over age groups and the fact that a substantial proportion of
Town resi-dents rely on agricultural activity for income (a
comparatively low-wage industry). Some of the persons in these age
groups are retired and would normally have lower annual incomes.
Agriculture
Agriculture
has traditionally been the mainstay of the economy of Ulster County and
of importance to the Town of Marbletown and presently con-tinues to be
an important factor. However, in Ulster County the number of farms
decreased by 62% between 1950 and 1964 from 2,552 to 964. The percent
of total land area of the County in farms decreased from 31% in 1950 to
18% in 1964. The average size of a farm increased from 89 acres in
1950 to 136 acres in 1964. This is due to the fact that the number of
small farms has significantly decreased. This trend is due partly to
the change of definition of a farm* but mostly due to the regional
trend of a diminishing number of small farms. The number of poultry
farms in the County decreased in number
from over 500 in 1950 to 115 in 1964. During the same period dairy
farms decreased from over 500 to 218. The amount of cropland harvested
decreased from 76,354 acres in 1950 to
50,951 in 1964,a decrease of 33%.
The number of milk cows decreased in Ulster County between 1950 and
1964 from 12,043 to 8,541. Thus the rate of decrease in number of
dairy farms was greater than the number of milk cows. The number of
hens (chickens four months old & over) increased from approximately
460,000 in 1950 to over 685,000 by 1964 in Ulster County.
*In
1959 the U. S. Census Bureau changed the definition of a farm. Thus,
for 1959 and thereafter, a farm was defined as any place 10 acres or
more under the control of one operator or partnership if estimated
sales of agricultural products amounted to $50 or more in the year.
Also, places of less than 10 acres if estimated sales amounted to $250
or more. Previous to 1959, a farm was any place of 3 acres or more if
annual value of agricultural products for home use or for sale amounted
to $150 or more. Also, places of less than 3 acres if the annual value
of sales of agricultural products amounted to $150 or more.
Ulster County is a prominent producer of several agricultural commodi-ties: apples and sweet corn and egg production.
The
Town of Marbletown in terms of agriculture followed trends very similar
to Ulster County. The following table indicates that the number of
farms and amount of land area in farms decreased between 1950 and 1964
but the number of acres per farm increased.
TABLE 6: NO. OF FARMS, LAND AREA IN FARMS AND ACRES PER FARM, TOWN OF MARBLETOWN 1950, 1959, 1964
1950 1959 1964 % Change 1950 1964 from 1959
No. of Farms 194 97 59 - 70% -39%
Land Area in Farms
(acres) 13,584 9,304 8,623 - 370/, - 7%
Acres Per Farm 70 96 146 +109% +52%
Source: 1959 U. S. Census of Agriculture, Ulster County, prepared by C.
A. Bratton, Department of Agricultural Economics, New York State
College of Agriculture, Ithaca, New York; 1964 U. S. Census of
Agriculture, U. S. Bureau of Census
The following table indicates selected agricultural statistics from the U. S. Census of Agriculture for the years 1959 and 1964.
TABLE 7: SELECTED AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 1959,1964 TOWN OF MARBLETOWN 1959 1964
Number of Cattle & Calves 1,498 1,421
Hens & Pullets of Laying Age n.a. 61,578
Milk Cows 847 798
Cropland Harvested (acres) 3,345 4,882
Acres of
Alfalfa & Mixtures for Hay 641 636
Clover-Timothy & Grass Mixtures for Hay 1,015 780
Grains Cut for Hay 70 26
All Hay 1,978 1,916
Corn for Silage 306 =147
Grass Silage 117 205
All Corn 700 670
Corn for Grain 381 203
Wheat 123 135
Oats 94 115
Vegetables for Sale other than Potatoes n. a. 1,807
n. a. - not available
Source: 1959 U. S. Census of Agriculture, Ulster County, prepared by
C. A. Bratton, Department of Agricultural Economics, New York State
College of Agriculture, Ithaca, New York; 1964 U. S. Census of
Agriculture, U. S. Bureau of Census
The above table indicates that approximately 2,000 acres of land were
devoted to the raising of hay in 1959 which decreased to approximately
1,900 acres by 1964. Land devoted to the raising of corn decreased
slightly between 1959 and 1964. In 1964 2 farms in the Town of
Marble-town were raising sweet corn crops (which is considered a
vegetable rather than part of the 'all corn' category) but the amount
of land area devoted to the raising of sweet corn is not available
because it is the policy of the U. S. Bureau of the Census that when
less than 3 farms report such crop further information is not given in
order to avoid dis-closure.
The predominant types of agricultural activity in the Town of Marbletown are dairy farming, cattle raising, hay and corn crops.
Soil types and topography, of course, are important factors in local
agri-culture and the farming pattern reflects these conditions. It is
the Esopus Creek valley and lower Rondout Creek valley and relatively
level areas along both sides of Route 209 which are the predominant
areas of cultivation. Within this area livestock farming also takes
place as well as in the rolling hills of the Catskills in the western
portion of the Town.
The Town of Marbletown contains 54.9 square miles which is sufficient
area to accommodate increased population growth and still retain
agricul-tural activity. This is particularly true of the Esopus and
Rondout Creek flood plains which are excellent agricultural land, but
which are subject to periodic flooding and therefore not acceptable for
residential develop-ment purposes.
Resorts
Resorts are an important factor in the economy of the County.
However, the major resort areas of the County are located in the Town
of Rochester and Town of Wawarsing. This is reflected in the industry
group (shown on Table 4) of personal services which includes persons
employed in hotels and lodging places, etc. of 5.6% for the Town of
Marbletown, but which was 14.8% in the Town of Rochester and 13.8% in
the Town of Wawarsing.
The resort activity in the Town of Marbletown consists of several
resorts (Mohonk Lake, Grand View Lodge & Page One Chateau) and
camps (Camp Hurley and Camp Hi-on-a-hill). In addition there are
approximately 200 private seasonal dwelling units.
Traditionally the Ulster County resorts have been a summer vacation
area and are still primarily. However, the winter activities have been
increasing. Many of the larger resort hotels now remain open all year
and skiing activities have been increasing.
Considering the location of the Cbunty mid-way between the New York
Metropolitan area and the Albany- Troy-Schenectady area and
consider-ing its scenic topography and improved means of transportation
from the metropolitan areas, there is no doubt that the resort activity
will continue to be an important part of the economy of Ulster County.
Resort activities will undoubtedly also continue in the Town and further lodge, hotel and camp development is possible.
Local Employment
The preceding discussion of labor force and employment indicates
the types of establishments and industries in which the labor force of
the Town are employed. The 1966 Ulster County Data Book indicates that
the larger employers in the Town are Carworth Inc. (laboratory
animals), Varifab, Inc. (machine shop) and High Falls Coil Co. (coils
& assemblies, electronic components). Other industrial employers
listed in the Data Book are the Hurley Sand and Gravel Company, Henneke
Engineering Company (tools & dies, stamping), Suepfle Lumber
Company, Inc. (millwork, lumber), Wood-stock Packing Company (meat
packing) and Jansen Lumber Mill (millwork, lumber). The Ulster County
Data Book indicates that the above plants em-ployed 307 persons in
1965. These 307 persons are not necessarily resi-dents of Marbletown.
Agricultural enterprises and retail trade are the other major employers
of Town residents. As pointed out in Table 4, 15% of the labor force
was engaged in agriculture in 1960 and 10.8 in retail trade. Most of
those persons engaged in retail trade as well as many other residents
of the Town are employed outside of the Town of Marbletown.
|
