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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; More than 200 people turned out for the 2019 Indicators Report, prepared by The Institute for Public Policy &amp; Economic Development at Wilkes University, and Executive Director Teri Ooms didn&#8217;t disappoint.</p><p>After opening remarks by board Vice Chairman Frank Joanlanne, which included a tribute to departing Wilkes President Patrick Leahy, Ooms took the stage.</p><p>&#8220;And now comes the data part,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We will now examine the effects and challenges coming over the next 20 years.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Demographics</strong></p><p>Ooms said the region&#8217;s population is 528,104 &#8212; 19.6 percent is 65 years old and older &#8212; that compares to 18.6 percent in 2013. She said 9.1 percent of the population are single parent families.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re getting older,&#8221; Ooms said. &#8220;But so is the rest of the United States.&#8221;</p><p>Ooms said the region&#8217;s unemployment is declining and there has been a moderate growth in real income. The poverty rate in Luzerne County is 13.8 percent, compared to 11.1 percent in 2000. And the region&#8217;s average wage is $41,899 per year, considerably less that the state average of $54,000.</p><p>The region&#8217;s racial and ethnic diversity has increased &#8212; 90 percent of the population identifies as &#8220;white alone,&#8221; compared with 97 percent in 2000. Ooms said in Luzerne County, 11.8 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino, a sharp increase since 2000 (1.2 percent). Pennsylvania&#8217;s Hispanic/Latino population for the same time period has risen from 3.2 percent in 2000 to 7.3 percent in 2017.</p><p><strong>Education</strong></p><p>High school enrollment in the region is 70,604 &#8212; and 2,689 in career technology centers. Ooms said there has been a 52 percent increase in special education student enrollment since 2012-13 &#8212; 14,978 were enrolled this year.</p><p>Ooms also noted that the regional high school graduation rate is 88.8 percent &#8212; more than two percentage points higher than the statewide rate of 86.2 percent.</p><p>Workforce readiness remains a priority, Ooms said. Educational attainment rates have grown steadily &#8212; 23.8 percent in Luzerne County have a bachelor&#8217;s degree or higher, compared to 16.4 percent in 2000. Statewide, the rate is 31.4 percent.</p><p><strong>Economic competitiveness</strong></p><p>The Indicators Report shows that &#8220;the slow and irreversible decline of the region&#8217;s heavy industrial has resulted in the loss of nearly 39,000 jobs, 1.5 billion in wages and $6.2 billion in economic output&#8221; over the last two decades.</p><p>The report also shows that due to the high number of people achieving only a high school diploma, the workforce is more geared to low skill careers.</p><p>&#8220;Due to the area&#8217;s stagnant population growth, the region&#8217;s workforce is generally older and less educated than the statewide and national equivalents,&#8221; the report states. &#8220;Some 31 percent of Northeastern&#8217;s Pennsylvania residents commute to jobs located outside the region.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Growth sectors</strong></p><p>Health care/social assistance</p><p>Logistics, transportation and warehousing</p><p>Infrastructure and construction</p><p>Utilities and energy production</p><p>Advanced professional services, from real estate appraisal to investment to advice, and software publishing to market research</p><p>The job growth market is linked to the educational achievements &#8212; the more who gain degrees beyond high school will find better jobs in today&#8217;s market.</p><p>Ooms said the report shows the need to harness the value of the region&#8217;s network of higher education institutions tom assure classes and programs are offered to prepare students for today&#8217;s job market.</p><p>The report stats that in 2016-17, there were 13,000 degrees conferred by area colleges and universities.</p><p><strong>Housing</strong></p><p>The region has a high concentration of older homes &#8212; nearly half were built before 1950. Key concerns include the presence of asbestos, mold, radon and lead-based paint. Accessibility is also a concern.</p><p>The report recommends tax abatement or other government policies that encourage new housing development, It also suggests assisting homeowners with necessary repairs/renovations through direct subsidies or matching grants.</p><p><strong>Comments</strong></p><p>&#8220;We need to be cognizant of the trends in Northeastern Pennsylvania,&#8221; Ooms said. &#8220;We are seeing major changes in the workforce and the needs of employers. We have to assure that we can keep up with those changes as the region&#8217;s economy grows.&#8221; </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Teri Ooms, executive director at the Institute on Public Policy &amp; Economic Development, discusses population trends during the 2019 Indicators Forum held Thursday at Mohegan Sun Pocono Convention Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0510419indicator1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Teri Ooms, executive director at the Institute on Public Policy &amp; Economic Development, discusses population trends during the 2019 Indicators Forum held Thursday at Mohegan Sun Pocono Convention Center. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0510419indicator2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Guests clap for Patrick Leahy, departing president of Wilkes University, at the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development Indicators Forum Thursday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0510419indicator2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Guests clap for Patrick Leahy, departing president of Wilkes University, at the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development Indicators Forum Thursday morning. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Crowd hears about region&#8217;s economic indicators </subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

More than 200 hear region’s economic indicators and statistics