Whether you ’re just starting out in husbandry or have been in the intellectual nourishment industriousness in some manner for a while , the question “ Is this sustainable ? ” in all likelihood get up at least once . It appear that business is booming in your city but then you discover that the average wage in the food industry is low . Information is central .

To help inform the urban provision and sustainability word of Portland , Ore. , officials , Jamaal Green , alum research helper and IGERT Fellow , and Greg Schrock , PhD , helper prof , both from the Portland State University ’s Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning , compiled a report on the city ’s food for thought economic system . The results not only give insight to the officials , but also to those working in the industry .

The central findings ofthe study , which looked at 2002 through 2012 , are :

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1. The food economy is an important employer in the Portland region.

Throughout the five counties of the Portland region , 100,000 people ( 11.6 % of the population ) were employed in the food manufacture . In Portland itself , a little over 10 percent of work is in food economy jobs .

2. The food economy has experienced robust job growth in recent years.

Food economy exercise maturate by almost one - third .

3. Food economy jobs grew faster in the city’s Urban Renewal Areas (URAs) than citywide.

The subject area bring out that the “ food economy employment grew four times faster within the city ’s URAs than for the urban center of Portland overall . ”

4. The food economy is regional in character, with different functions throughout the region.

Within the counties of Yamhill , Clackamas and Washington , the majority of the solid food thriftiness jobs was in agricultural product . In Multnomah county and Portland , food dispersion and help predominate the industry .

5. Compensation levels in the food economy varies greatly by sector.

In the food for thought economy industry in Portland , the average wage is $ 26,000 , which is about half what is earned in other job fields . However , when the jobs are ruin down to specifics , the pay range . For case , those in food Service earn an mean earnings of $ 20,000 , while those in food dispersion take in nigh to $ 50,000 – without the need for a college grade .

6. Portland’s food economy employs a diverse workforce.

There are more someone of color and non - citizens in this manufacture than in the other industries . Women make up small serving of the industry in all areas of food economy except for food service .

7. Several food economy industries show competitive advantage in the city and the region.

Local businesses , such as grocery memory board and restaurant , are see fast line of work growth .

8. The food economy contributes 33,000 additional jobs and $22 billion dollars in output.

According to the study , “ the intellectual nourishment manufacture is responsible for for approximately 167,092 lineal and indirect Job in the part , producing roughly $ 6 billion dollars in income and nearly $ 22 billion dollars in output for the state overall . In add-on , it contributed near $ 600 million to local governments throughout the region in property taxis and fees . ”

The research worker concluded that “ there is a recognition that intellectual nourishment is more than just a means to keep up life ; it is also an crucial part of the history and culture of our communities . By better understanding the means in which the food economy has grown and changed in late twelvemonth , we can develop more effective tools to foster its vitality and expatiate its benefits in the time to come . ”

Where might your city measure up if this written report were conducted there ?

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To read the study in full , click here .