The Union County unemployment rate of 6 percent in November, the same as a year ago, only tells part of the story of low-income survival in northeast Oregon, according to a recent study being circulated by Rural Development Initiatives.

Compiled by ESRI Business Information Solutions, the report uses figures from the Oregon Employment Department and shows the persistence of poverty-related problems in Elgin and Union County.

It shows that 33.7 percent of Elgin households earned less than $25,000 in 2004. Elgin’s median household income was about $33,000 in 2004, Union County’s about $35,000. The median for the state of Oregon was about $43,000.

According to a report compiled by Jason Yohannan, regional economist with the OED, both high- and low-wage positions in the area remain hard to fill.

Positions that demand a high level of training or education, those in the medical professions, plumbing and electricians, are sometimes beyond the level of training available locally.

Positions paying at or near Oregon’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour simply will not support a family, the report noted.

According to Eric Moore, senior economic analyst for the OED, the gap between rich and poor has been growing in Oregon and across the country. Wage inequality is rising, Moore said, adding that “the folks in the middle are getting squeezed. High and low are doing well.”

Moore published an article in the October 2004 Oregon Labor Trends that said that low-wage industries fuel much of Oregon’s job growth.

“The recession of the early 90s was mild and short-lived compared to the most recent recession,” Moore wrote.

His data showed that Oregon lost 30,000 high-wage jobs between January 2000 and June 2003 – 12,500 have been added since then.

Another article, by Amy Vander Vliet in the September 2004 OLT, described Oregon as among the top 10 states in income inequality between 1990 and 2003.

The information from RDI was distributed to the cities of Union, Prairie City and Elgin, all involved in Horizon’s Team programs intended to address issues of poverty and community development in rural areas.

Paula Wallis has been coordinating RDI involvement with these communities since November. Previously she worked for 15 years with the Economic Development Department of the Umatilla Tribes.

Wallis emphasized the need for communities to set their own direction when she attended an organizational meeting of Elgin community groups Monday.

“It’s not up to us at RDI to decide for you,” she said.

Members of the Elgin development groups, representing Elgin Economic and Growth Endeavor (EDGE), the Elgin Horizons Team and Elgin 2010, decided to combine their efforts and meet as one group in the future.

In the past decade, the Elgin groups have been instrumental in the development of an industrial park, an RV park and a downtown park.