FRIDAY, December 18, 2009 — Though everyone acknowledges the weak economy — where Lee County's unemployment rate stands at 13.5 percent — national and local conditions may not be as bad as you hear on the street.

CEO Charles Hayes of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and Director Bob Heuts of Lee County Economic Development gave their latest analysis at The Health of Lee County 2009, an annual assessment of the economy, labor, education and the quality of life.

A record crowd of about 150 attended the seventh-annual event.

The Economic Outlook

As unpleasant as it may be for area families, the poor unemployment numbers locally are not isolated to Lee County. Unemployment is part of an international trend. Even in North Carolina, Hayes says, 22 counties have posted a rate of 13 percent or higher.

And taken as a whole, the economy has seen more difficult times. Heuts pointed to the U.S. Misery Index, an economic gauge combining unemployment and inflation rates to assess how bad off people are economically.

The latest index was 10.02 percent, less than half of its all-time high of 21.09 reached in June 1980, when inflation was eating away at whatever money people managed to make.

There was some good economic news. Lee's average wage was the highest among five southern counties in the Research Triangle economic region — due to the county's relatively high percentage of manufacturing jobs — and plenty of new businesses have been created.

"From October '08 to October '09, 231 new businesses have been created in Lee County," Hayes told the crowd. "Two hundred, thirty-one. That is a lot."

Beyond the Economy

Though the economy was front and center, it's just one gauge of local health. A summary report published by the Committee of 100 lists the quality of life as "good" — thanks, in part, to a crime rate that continues to plunge.

Seven years ago, that number was 7,201 per 100,000 inhabitants. The latest is just 3,649, which is lower than the Research Triangle Region as a whole. The rate may not be ideal, Heuts pointed out, but it's "trending in the right direction."

"A few years back, we talked about how the high the crime rate was and the sheriff at that time was upset about us talking about it," Heuts told the crowd. "Now, it's beautiful."

Progress in the Classroom

Education was another bright spot in the last year.

Lee County Schools announced in August that 13 of 14 schools made "expected" or "high" growth in the statewide ABCs report, up from last year, when 11 of 13 schools achieved the mark.

That news came on the heels of another schools accountability study boasting that 11 of 15 local schools made "adequate yearly progress" in reading and math. Last year, 3 of 14 schools passed the test.

If that weren't enough good news, SAT scores were up and the dropout rate was down — to 4.97 percent, its lowest in a decade.

Other highlights included Central Carolina Community College exceeding all performance standards set by the state community college system, a global learning center relocating to Sanford for Paxton/Patterson's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum and CCCC becoming the first community college in the nation to open a Confucius Classroom to teach Chinese language and culture.

A Visit from the Secretary of Commerce

The Health of Lee County 2009 also featured a visit by North Carolina Secretary of Commerce J. Keith Crisco, who answered questions and assured local leaders that officials in Raleigh were working with agencies across the state to attract jobs.

That effort included recent trips to recruit business in Japan, China, Europe and Canada.

"North Carolina is working on foreign investment; that's the way the world is and we need to adapt to it ...," he explained. "If foreign investment creates jobs in North Carolina, I'm for it."

An executive summary assessing The Health of Lee County 2009 is available free of charge on the Lee County Economic Development Web site at lcedc.com/media/. Scroll down to "Local Economic Reports."

Two presentations from the event also are available, one overall report and a separate one focusing on economic trends.