San Benito County residents had a little more cash in their
pockets in 2001 as the local median income increased for the fourth
consecutive year.
San Benito County residents had a little more cash in their pockets in 2001 as the local median income increased for the fourth consecutive year.
From 2000 to 2001, the county’s median income was $34,694, an increase that was 70 percent faster than the state average, according to statistics from the state’s Department of Finance.
The overall increase in income of 2.9 percent from 2000 was not only the fourth straight year of increases but it also marked a growth rate of 32 percent since 1997 when the median income was $26,282.
San Benito County ranked 12th among the state’s 58 counties, just ahead of both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties but still behind Santa Clara County. The median income in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties was $28,994 and $32,624, respectively, and $45,585 in Santa Clara County. The median income average for the state was $31,666.
According to the report, San Benito County’s four-year growth rate of 32 percent was nearly twice the state’s 18.3 percent during the same time period.
For taxpayers filing joint tax returns, the median income was $64,783, a 1.9-percent increase from 2000, according to state statistics.
Marin County ranked first in the state with a median income on all filed returns of $46,696 followed by Santa Clara County.
Economic officials said normally the news of continued increasing local income may signal an increased affluence within the community that could attract more businesses, and possibly in turn create more jobs.
“It normally would, but it won’t now because of the impact of 9-11, because of the impact of the recession and because of the impact of the sewer moratorium,” said Al Martinez, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County.
Martinez said because of all of those factors added to the state’s economic troubles have made businesses take a more conservative approach to expansion in new areas such as San Benito County.
He said continued local efforts to all but stop growth was also giving the county the label as an anti-business, zero-growth community.
“If we get this reputation as a no-growth area, then we will have stopped industrial (growth) and commercial dead,” Martinez said.
Median Income
Median incomes from 2000-01, according to the state Department of Finance.
Santa Clara – $45,585
San Benito – $34,694
Santa Cruz – $32,624
Monterey – $28,994
State – $31,666
San Benito County from 2001 to 1997
2001 – $34,694
2000 – $33,718
1999 – $31,312
1998 – $29,167
1997 – $26,282
Joint tax returns 2001
Santa Clara – $87,781
San Benito – $64,783
Santa Cruz – $64,711
Monterey – $52,109
State – $58,341
Joint returns for San Benito County
2001 – $64,783
2000 – $63,571
1999 – $59,256
1998 – $54,838
1997 – $50,483
