According to a “state of the county” report that Partnership Executive Director Judy Batten presented to her board of directors last week, the fastest growing industries here pay lower than average wages.

Batten and her staff collected information for the report, which concludes that the fastest growing industries in Person County between 2003 and 2007 were wholesale trade, retail trade and educational services.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, manufacturing accounted for 16 percent of industry here, according to the report, followed by retail trade, at 14.4 percent, and health care and social assistance services, which accounted for 13.4 percent of local industry.

In North Carolina, 13.6 percent of industry was manufacturing during the same time period. Health care and social assistance accounted for 12.8 percent and retail trade 11.7 percent.

“With the shift from manufacturing to sales,” said Batten, “the income/wages go down significantly.”

She calculates that manufacturing salaries average $878 per week here, while retail trade pays $405 and health care and social assistance averages around $440. Both retail and health care/social assistance jobs in Person pay slightly less than the state average, according to the Partnership report.

Household income lags

Household income here lags behind the state average, Batten and her staff concluded.

Per capita income in Roxboro averaged just over $17,400 last year, compared to a statewide average of about $22,470. Average household income in Roxboro was $31,127 while the state average was $44,504. This information covers only the city and therefore is not representative of the whole county, Batten emphasized.

But, she said, the Partnership is concerned about whether growth in retail trade and other service industries will continue to grow. Other questions, she said, are , “What industries are most supportive of families with children?” and, “Is there available and affordable child care for workers in these industries?”

Batten also wonders if the shift toward service industries is bringing a corresponding loss of health care insurance for families and children.

These are some of the issues the Person County Partnership for Children will try to address in the upcoming year, said Batten.

The agency will also continue to monitor infant mortality, low birth weight, childhood obesity and car seat safety/child fatality prevention in Person County as well, she said.

According to the North Carolina Center for Health Statistics, Batten said, between 1997 and 2006, “There were steady decreases in infant mortality rates, with the exception of infant mortality among Caucasians.”

Infant mortality down

The infant mortality rate fell here, from 16.7 percent a decade ago to 10.6 percent in 2006. Among African Americans, the rate dropped from 21.9 percent to 13.8 percent. The corresponding rate of infant deaths in Caucasians went from 14.2 in 1997 to 9.2 in 2006.

The overall state infant mortality rates declined from 9.2 in 1997 to 8.1 in 2006.

The percentage of low birth weight babies born in Person County dropped from 12 in 2000 to 8.7 in 2006, Batten reported, while the state percentage rose from 8.8 to 9.1 during the same time frame.

Childhood obesity statistics from the state indicate that almost 32 percent of Person County children were obese or at risk for obesity last year, Batten said. However, “Our own research in 2007 indicated that 45 percent of Person County’s preschool children are obese or at risk for obesity.”

Car seat safety and child fatality prevention are also high on the Partnership’s list of concerns, according to Batten.

Improper car seat installation

“There is an escalating need for training in car seat and child fatality prevention,” she said. “Of concern, in Person County in 2007, 100 percent of parents (18 in number) whose vehicles were inspected had car seats that were improperly installed. The national average for the same measure is 85 percent.”

While all those concerns need to be addressed in the upcoming year, Batten said, she is encouraged that the number of child care facilities in the county that were rated five star by the state increased 116 percent between January and December 2007.

She said her staff, under the direction of Maynell Harper, had done a tremendous job in making sure that child care providers here have the education and training needed to earn the five stars.

Person County, said Batten, enjoys “a highly trained cadre of child care providers.”

She also gave much credit to the providers themselves for seeking the education and training, and said the county and providers were fortunate to have Piedmont Community College here to offer that training.

“We have great providers of early child care and education” said Batten, “and I feel so fortunate to be here.”