During the 1950 s, the lumber industry employed about one out of every two working people in Humboldt county, and accounted for more income than the rest of the county economy combined. Our county population rose by slightly more than 50 percent during this period. By the 1960 s, per-capita personal income in Humboldt County had dropped to national levels, and below state levels. County population actually shrunk during the 1960 s. In recent years the sources of growth in the county economy have been services, retail sales, and state and local government.
Services contribute nearly one-fourth of total personal income in Humboldt county.
Unfortunately, average earnings in the retail, services, and government sectors tend to be less than in manufacturing, and consequently per-capita personal income in Humboldt county is still only about 77 percent of that for California as a whole. On the positive side, these trends have led to lower unemployment rates and a more stable economy. The lumber industry is especially hard hit by national and international recessions because of the cyclical nature of building and construction activity. Moreover, the number of employers in the County has risen by about 50 percent since the 1970 s, and there have been notable employment gains in retail trade, restaurants, medical services, legal services, and state government. Some of these service areas pay quite well.