Older residents could jumpstart rural economy

Demographers say the rural counties of northwestern Nevada are substantially older than the rest of the nation.

That, Ron Weisinger says, may be just the impetus that some of the counties need to jump-start their economies.

Weisinger, the executive director of the Northern Nevada Development Authority, and other economic development officials from the region are awaiting the July 14 introduction of a consultants' vision for the rural area's economic future.

Data collected by the consulting firm, Angelou- Economics of Austin, Texas, details some big issues that face the seven counties Carson City along with Lyon, Douglas, Storey, Mineral, Churchill and Pershing.

Among the biggest issues is an older population throughout much of the region.

Carson City's median age of 40.2, for instance, is almost four years older than the national figure, and 16 percent of the city's population is 65 or older compared with 13 percent nationally.

In Lyon County the county that stretches from Fernley to Yerington themedian age of 38.4 is more than two years older than the national figure.

In Mineral County Hawthorne and environs the median age is 8.5 years higher than the national figure. Some 49 percent of the county's population is over 45.

Weisinger said last week that economic development specialists are beginning to think that the older demographic might provide a way for rural economies to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Here's how:

The number of older people in Carson City and the rural counties is likely to grow as they view northern Nevada as an attractive, relatively low-cost location for retirement.

As those retirees age, however, they increasingly will be unable or unwilling to drive to Reno for medical care.

That opens big opportunities for medical professionals and healthcare businesses such as laboratory services.

As healthcare professionals settle into rural communities, Weisinger said, retail development will follow. And the development of more retail would reduce one of the drawbacks that limits the willingness of some people to move to rural areas.

The data collected by AngelouEconomics it's the same company doing a study of the future of the Reno-area economy also notes that the percentage of college-educated workers in Carson City and the rural counties is lower than national averages.

Some 19 percent of Carson City residents have college degrees, compared with 27 percent nationally. In Lyon County, 12 percent of the population graduated from college. In Churchill County, the number is 18 percent.

At the same time, however, Weisinger noted that high school dropout rates in most of the counties are below national averages.

That may point, he said, to development of new employers who need workers with the skills that can be developed in vocational or community college programs.

Some of those employers might come from a business incubator that NNDA is working to develop in Fernley. Weisinger said the incubator, which would provide a low-cost and supportive environment for start-ups, is likely to be sponsored by a wide range of economic development agencies, chambers of commerce and other public and private agencies in the region.

It wouldn't be limited to technology companies, Weisinger said, but instead would host companies in fields ranging from agricultural equipment to logistics that can help generate jobs for the rural areas.

And even a small employer that might not amount to much in a metropolitan area, Weisinger said, can have a major impact in one of the job-short rural counties.

"It can be monumental," he said. "When one starts, then you'll see another follow."