94-03-05 New U.Va. Center for Public Service Report Gives In-Depth Economic Profile of Crater Planning District

NEW U.VA. CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE REPORT
GIVES IN-DEPTH ECONOMIC PROFILE OF CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT

     CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 5 -- Employment in the Petersburg-
Hopewell-Colonial Heights area grew at less than the state and
national average between 1980 and 1991, according to an economic
profile by the University of Virginia's Center for Public Service.
     The profile of the Crater Regional Planning District, in the
latest edition of the center's "Virginia's Local Economies" series
of occasional economic reports on each of the state's 21 planning
districts, shows that the district had an average annual growth
rate of .9 percent for the period, compared with rates of 3.2
percent for the state and 2.2 percent for the nation.
     Government employment, including federal, state and local is
the largest employment sector, employing 30.7 percent of the
district's workforce, according to U.Va. economist John L. Knapp,
director of the studies.  Fort Lee, the Southside Virginia Training
Center, Central State Hospital, and the Greensville Correctional
Center account for many of the public employees.
     The planning district includes the cities of Colonial Heights,
Emporia, Hopewell and Petersburg and the counties of Dinwiddie,
Greensville, Prince George, Surry and Sussex. 
     The study cites projections from a private forecasting firm
that the planning district will see only modest average annual
employment growth for the rest of the decade, compared to the 1.5
percent rate projected for the state.
     Real per capita personal income in the region is projected to
rise at a 1.3 percent annual rate, compared to 1.1 percent for the
state.
     The "Virginia's Local Economies" series includes updated
comparative data on all planning districts and local government
finances, as well as projections of population, employment, income
and school enrollment, and additional information about each
locality in a region.  The series is aimed at community planners,
economic developers, business and government officials, educators,
libraries and residents seeking local economic information.
     Cost is $12 per report, or $200 for the set of 21 reports. 
For additional information contact the U.Va. Center for Public
Service at (804) 982-5638.
                               ###
                                                    March 4, 1994
     EDITORS, REPORTERS:  John Knapp may be reached at the above
number.

[Submitted by: Karen A. Castle  (kac@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu)
               Mon, 21 Mar 94 15:50:18 EST]