Region

From Sustaining Jackson Hole Wiki

As western Wyoming’s economic engine, Teton County is driving significant growth in nearby communities. Escalating land values in Jackson Hole spur many people to move to nearby communities where the cost of real estate is much lower. Those who move to other communities often commute to work in Jackson Hole because there are more jobs in Teton County, and those jobs generally pay better wages. In addition, many people are purchasing vacation or retirement homes in these surrounding communities, as others have done in Jackson Hole.

There are three primary areas affected by growth in Jackson Hole: Teton Valley, ID, to the west (Driggs, Victor and Tetonia, ID, and Alta, WY); northern Lincoln County to the south (Alpine, Thayne, Etna and Afton, WY); and Sublette County to the southeast (Pinedale and Daniel, WY).

Of these three areas, Teton Valley, ID, which is located across Teton Pass, has been most affected by Jackson Hole’s booming economy. Teton County, ID, was the 21st fastest-growing county in the U.S. during the 1990s. (In that same decade, Teton County, WY, was the 41st fastest-growing county in the nation). In the past 10 years, the population, housing stock, median household income and median home price have all increased more rapidly in Teton County, ID, than in Lincoln or Sublette counties. (See graphs 12-1 through 12-11). With a population increase of 74 percent between 1990 and 2000, Teton County, ID, grew at roughly four times the rate of Lincoln and Sublette counties. Its Latino population nearly tripled.

In addition, the southern part of Teton Valley, which is closer to Jackson Hole, is growing more quickly than other parts of the community. The Victor, ID, area, which is the closest Teton Valley community to Teton Pass and a 40-minute drive from the Town of Jackson, grew 134 percent between 1990 and 2000. In comparison, the Driggs, ID, area, which requires 15 more minutes of driving from Jackson, grew 48 percent in the same decade. (See table 12-1.)

Between 1990 and 2000, Lincoln and Sublette counties grew at 15 percent and 22 percent respectively. Like Teton County, ID, the portions of Lincoln and Sublette counties that are closer to Jackson Hole grew more rapidly between 1990 and 2000 than those counties as a whole. Lincoln County’s Star Valley, which is between 45 minutes and an hour south of Jackson, and the Pinedale area, which is one of the closest communities in Sublette County to Jackson Hole, both grew 37 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-1 The population in counties neighboring Jackson Hole has increased steadily during the last three decades. The largest relative increase took place in Teton County, ID, between 1990 and 2000. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-2 Of the counties close to Jackson Hole, Teton County, ID, has grown much more quickly than Lincoln or Sublette counties. Its population growth also outpaced growth in Wyoming, Idaho and the United States. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-3 In the 1990s, the median age in Teton County, ID, increased very little compared to Lincoln and Sublette Counties. It also increased little compared to Wyoming and the United States. This suggests that many younger people who were priced out of Jackson Hole moved across Teton Pass. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-4 Of counties adjacent to Jackson Hole, Teton County, ID, has the highest percentage of residents who hold four-year college degrees. Roughly 28 percent of the Teton County, ID, population held a college degree in 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage grew much faster in Teton County, ID, than it did in Lincoln or Sublette counties. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-5 During the 1990s, the Latino population grew in all of the counties south and west of Jackson Hole. It grew the most, however, in Teton County, ID. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-6 The Latino population in Teton County, ID, grew almost 200 percent in the 1990s. In Teton County, WY, it grew roughly 800 percent. Growth in the Latino population in counties to the south of Jackson Hole was much less substantial. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-7 In 2000, Teton County, ID, was the only county in the Jackson Hole region where the percentage of Latino residents was similar to that of the nation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-8 The counties west and south of Jackson Hole all saw a steady increase in their housing stock in the last three decades. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-9 Looking at relative housing growth, Teton County, WY, saw the greatest increase in housing units in the 1990s, followed by Teton County, ID. Despite their smaller relative gains in housing stock, Lincoln and Sublette Counties both grew faster than Wyoming or the United States during the most recent decade. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-10 Behind the astronomical increase in the median price of a Teton County, WY, home, Teton County, ID, saw the biggest median home price increase during the 1990s. However, the median home price in three counties adjacent to Jackson Hole rose in the 1990s much more in accordance with state and national levels than with the rate in Teton County, WY. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Graph 12-11 The Teton County, ID, median income in the 1990s increased more quickly than the median income in Lincoln or Sublette counties. However, the median income increase in all three of those counties in the 1990s was more comparable to state and national median income increases than to income growth in Teton County, WY. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Table 12-1 A look at the 1990 to 2000 population and housing stock growth rates in sub-sections of counties close to Jackson Hole shows that the closer an area is to Teton County, WY, the faster it grows. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Table 12-2 Like population and housing stock, median home prices increased more substantially in sub-sections of counties that are closer to Jackson Hole. Source: U.S. Census Bureau