4.
ECONOMY
Westport is a small
island and a small town. There are very few employment possibilities on
Westport. Based on information from the Maine Department of Labor, there were
346 people in the labor force in the year 2000, of which 337 were employed and
9 were unemployed. Westport’s 2000
unemployment rate (2.7%) compares favorably with that of the surrounding towns,
Lincoln County and the State of Maine, as shown in Table 1.
|
Table 1Summary of Employment, Unemployment, 2000 |
||||
|
|
Labor Force |
Employed |
Unemployed |
Unemployment Rate |
|
Westport |
346 |
337 |
9 |
2.6% |
|
Edgecomb |
520 |
497 |
23 |
4.4% |
|
Wiscasset |
1,423 |
1,371 |
52 |
3.7% |
|
Lincoln
County |
18,240 |
17,750 |
500 |
2.7% |
|
Maine |
688,800 |
664,600 |
24,200 |
3.5% |
Source: Maine
Department of Labor, 2001
According to the 1990 Census, of the 320 workers who reported their job locations, only 24, or 8%, were employed by the various small businesses located on the island (see Table 2). The remaining 296, or 92% of the total, worked off the island. The principal off-island job locations were Wiscasset (77 persons or 24%), and Bath (99 persons or 31%), which together served as job sites for over half of Westport's work force.
|
Table 2 Place of Work – Westport Residents, 1990 |
|||||
|
Place |
# |
% |
Place |
# |
% |
|
Augusta |
17 |
5% |
Portland |
6 |
2% |
|
Bath |
99 |
31% |
Topsham |
21 |
7% |
|
Boothbay
Harbor |
6 |
2% |
Westport |
24 |
8% |
|
Brunswick |
22 |
7% |
Wiscasset |
77 |
24% |
|
Damariscotta |
16 |
5% |
Other |
26 |
8% |
|
Freeport |
6 |
2% |
Total |
320 |
100% |
Source: U.S.
Census, 1990
Table 3 contains a breakdown of the labor
force by industry for Westport, Lincoln County and the State of Maine as
reflected in the 1990 Census. Westport
had a significantly higher percentage of residents employed in manufacturing of
durable goods and retail trade than the other two jurisdictions.
|
Table
3 Labor Force Employment By Industry – 1990
|
||||||
|
|
Westport
|
Lincoln County
|
State
|
|||
|
|
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Agriculture,
Forestry, fishing |
3 |
1 |
709 |
5 |
16,263 |
3 |
|
Construction |
31 |
9 |
1,447 |
11 |
42,026 |
7 |
|
Manufacturing,
non-durable goods |
9 |
3 |
456 |
3 |
54,741 |
10 |
|
Manufacturing,
durable goods |
85 |
25 |
2,132 |
16 |
57,890 |
10 |
|
Transportation |
3 |
1 |
357 |
3 |
19,567 |
3 |
|
Communications,
public utilities |
13 |
4 |
456 |
3 |
12,710 |
2 |
|
Wholesale
trade |
9 |
3 |
306 |
2 |
20,818 |
4 |
|
Retail trade |
87 |
26 |
2,445 |
18 |
105,312 |
18 |
|
Finance,
insurance, real estate |
11 |
3 |
576 |
4 |
31,992 |
6 |
|
Business and
repair services |
8 |
2 |
458 |
3 |
19,839 |
4 |
|
Personal
services |
14 |
4 |
562 |
4 |
18,322 |
3 |
|
Entertainment,
recreation |
1 |
1 |
112 |
1 |
5,333 |
1 |
|
Health
services |
5 |
1 |
999 |
7 |
52,675 |
9 |
|
Educational
services |
20 |
6 |
1,100 |
8 |
53,685 |
9 |
|
Other
professional, related services |
18 |
5 |
901 |
7 |
35,588 |
6 |
|
Public
administration |
18 |
5 |
681 |
5 |
25,081 |
4 |
Total |
335 |
99 |
13,697 |
100 |
571,842 |
99 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source:
1990 Census
Table 4 contains an occupational breakdown for Westport, Lincoln County and the State of Maine as reflected in the 1990 Census. Westport had about the same percentage of residents (55%) employed in white collar occupations as the County (52%) and the State (54%).
|
Table
4 Labor Force Employment By Industry –
1990 |
||||||
|
|
Westport
|
Lincoln County
|
State
|
|||
|
|
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
|
White Collar |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive, Administrative |
48 |
14 |
1,475 |
11 |
61,376 |
11 |
|
Professional, Specialty |
36 |
11 |
2,024 |
15 |
79,155 |
14 |
|
Technical |
7 |
2 |
382 |
3 |
18,523 |
3 |
|
Sales |
30 |
9 |
1,316 |
10 |
62,139 |
11 |
|
Administrative Support |
64 |
19 |
1,716 |
13 |
85,388 |
15 |
|
Total White Collar |
185 |
55 |
6,913 |
52 |
306,581 |
54 |
|
Blue Collar |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service Occupations |
35 |
10 |
1,697 |
12 |
77,715 |
14 |
|
Farming, Forestry |
3 |
1 |
741 |
5 |
15,773 |
3 |
|
Production, Craft, Repair |
57 |
17 |
2,637 |
19 |
76,847 |
13 |
|
Laborers |
55 |
16 |
1,709 |
12 |
94,926 |
17 |
|
Total Blue Collar |
150 |
44 |
6,784 |
48 |
265,261 |
47 |
|
Total |
335 |
99 |
13,697 |
100 |
571,842 |
101 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: 1990 Census
Despite Westport's rural appearance, there is no longer any significant commercial agriculture or forestry activity on the island. Similarly, despite the island's extensive coastline, there is very little commercial maritime activity on Westport, with the exception of several individuals who earn a living worming and lobstering.
Although Westport
is very close to popular tourist destinations like Boothbay Harbor and
Freeport, the impact of tourism on the island and its economy is less than
might be assumed. There are indirect effects - some island residents are
employed in off-island tourism related businesses. But for the most part, the
ebb and flow of tourist traffic passes the island by. The explanation is that
Westport offers almost no significant attractions for tourists - there are no
beaches, no harbors, no shopping possibilities, and no restaurants. The single
exception is the Squire Tarbox Inn, which offers dining and lodging, but with
room for only 22 guests. Because Westport's one good highway leads only to the
island's southern end and no further, there is no possibility to offer services
to tourists passing through en route to other destinations, as is the case, for
example, with neighboring Edgecomb which stands astride the main route to
Boothbay Harbor. In short, Westport has been spared both the benefits and the
problems connected with a large influx of summer tourists.
Table 5 contains
a breakdown of the types of businesses in Westport as of 2001.
|
Table 5 Type of Business – 2001(at least part of business conducted on
the island) |
|||
|
Type
of Business |
Number |
Type
of Business |
Number |
|
Antiques |
2 |
House
cleaning |
3 |
|
Arborist |
1 |
Inn
owner |
1 |
|
Artist |
3 |
Lawn
care |
2 |
|
Artist
supplies |
1 |
Lawyers |
4 |
|
Boat
builder |
2 |
Lobsterman |
5 |
|
Carpenter,
light construction |
10 |
Manufacturing
(light) |
2 |
|
Crafts
(Association) |
13 |
Marine
construction |
2 |
|
Cleaning
company (commercial) |
1 |
Mason |
1 |
|
Commercial
fisherman |
1 |
Real
estate |
1 |
|
Computer
company |
1 |
Store
owner |
2 |
|
Electrician |
1 |
Tree
farm |
1 |
|
Heavy
equipment, construction |
2 |
Total |
62 |
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Selectman, 2001.
With over 90% of its work force employed off the island, Westport fits the classic definition of a bedroom community. There is no commercial or industrial blight here, but neither are there many job possibilities, and almost no tax revenues directly generated by business activity. Given the island's location well off the beaten track, with no through highway, no established harbor, and the relatively high cost of island land, it is unlikely that any but quite small firms will choose to settle here. As for retail possibilities, the island's population base is probably too small to support anything more than perhaps the existing convenience store/gasoline station, particularly in view of the pull of the stronger shopping opportunities in Bath and Wiscasset, and along Route 1. It seems likely that Westport will remain a bedroom community, and that its economic well being will remain closely linked to the fortunes of the surrounding area, particularly Bath and Wiscasset.