The Economic Value of Water and Ecosystem Preservation

Table 5-11. County Socio-economic Characteristics
Positives Negatives
Aransas 1. Declining poverty rate 1. Real average wage per job
2. Increasing real per capita
income
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2. Educational attainment
3. Population growth
Calhoun 1. Real average wage per job 1. Educational attainment
2. Declining unemployment rate 2. Low real per capita income
3. Cost of living 3. Flat population growth
Refugio 1. Declining poverty rate 1. Real average wage per job
2. Steady unemployment rate 2. Educational attainment
3. Cost of living 3. Population loss
On the positive side, all three counties have seen decreases in poverty rates
over the last ten years and increasing real per capita income that is keeping pace
with the national and State rates of growth, although still below the averages.
Calhoun stands out with a real average wage per job that is higher than the
Texas average. This can be attributed to the high quality (paying) jobs found in
the extensive petro-chemical industry in the county.
The focus of this analysis was to determine the state of the fisheries industry
for the San Antonio Bay area. Any results are only relevant in the context of
employment alternatives for those that work in fisheries. Therefore, it was
decided that the most likely employment alternatives are mining (oil and gas),
construction, and manufacturing. Shift-share analysis allows us to deconstruct
the growth or decline in employment and identify the cause for that change,
whether it is national, industrial, or competitive trends.
The analysis of the two-county region is useful in comparison to Aransas and
Calhoun individually. One thing is for certain, these counties are not
homogenous, and so there should not be much weight placed on these
outcomes. What is more revealing is what is happening at the specific county
level.
Fishing employment in Aransas has eroded at a much faster rate during the
time period under study than Calhoun. A negative competitive share in Aransas
and zero value for Calhoun suggests that the county does not have a
comparative advantage in this sector. However, the data is aggregated to a level
where individual fisheries are not recognized. Given that the main fisheries are
shrimp and oysters it could be argued that these counties would continue to have