Clackamas County ranked No. 4 on a national list of counties “ideally positioned to achieve sustainable economic growth.”
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Clackamas County ranked No. 4 on a national list of counties “ideally positioned to achieve sustainable economic growth.”
Development consulting firm Fourth Economy Consulting ranked the Portland-area county No. 4 in its “large-sized” category, according to a news release from Clackamas County Business and Community Services. Clackamas was the lone West Coast county on the large-sized list.
“This recognition reflects what businesses in the region already know — Clackamas County is a proud partner with private enterprise to create jobs and spur economic growth in the private sector,” Business and Community Services Director Gary Barth said in the release.
The FEC weighed five categories: investment, talent, sustainability, place and diversity. It also considered wage and employment growth, education levels, drive times, home values, minority business ownership, alternative measures of employment and population density.
From the county’s release:
Fourth Economy praised Clackamas County for understanding “that continued growth and sustainability need to be supported by a positive business environment.” A county’s ability to improve resiliency in its communities for possible future economic fluctuations was also a factor in the judging process.
The County also scored highly for “being proactive in developing local broadband infrastructure for the modern economy.” Since 2013, the County-initiated Clackamas Broadband Express (CBX), a fiber ring that links rural and urban parts of the County, has successfully converted to a self-sustaining utility service with revenue based on affordable rates for public and private agencies. CBX was developed with a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant.
Washington Co. topped the list four months ago, when the firm released its mega-size county list. No other counties west of Utah made any of the group’s lists.
