Pierce County, WA Community Assessment
Western Governors University

Pierce County, WA Community Assessment
Community Description and Data Interpretation Pierce County is situated in the central west of Washington State. The county is divided by Puget Sound, with the majority of the land to the east of the major waterway. There are several small islands included in the county that are located near the southern edge of the Sound. At the county’s eastern border, the beginnings of foothills lead to the actively volcanic Mount Rainier’s summit. Many parts of the county today are built upon the deposits of lahar from past eruptions. The geography of Pierce county ranges from a rocky shore to a lush, national forest with many lakes, rivers, and creeks in between. Overall, the county has 1794 square miles of land and 118 square miles of water, not including Puget Sound (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2010).
Pierce County became well known in the late nineteen hundreds when the city of Tacoma became the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad – the first transcontinental railroad in the north. The introduction of this railroad led to an increase in shipping and manufacturing in the area. At the time, lumber, shipping, farming, and coal mining powered Pierce’s economy. With the exception of mining, all these industries are still present today, though industrialization has made them less prominent than in the past (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2010).
Population/Economic Assessment Pierce County’s estimated population of 2012 was 811,681. The area is predominately white Judeo-Christian with the presence of multiple minorities in varying percentages. A large percentage of the population has an education level of high school or higher (90.1%); over fifteen percent of the overall adult community has a bachelor’s degree. With this level of education, it’s surprising that the median household income is only $58,824 (U.S. Census Bureau, ). Despite an increase in businesses in the area since the recession of 2008, 11.6% of the population remains at or below the poverty line. This is actually an increase from 2008 when 8.1% of the total population was determined to be in poverty. Unemployment has also increased by more than two-fold with it now being at 9.6% (U.S. Census Bureau). These upward trending numbers paint a grim picture for the county; however, there has been a noted decrease in homelessness over recent years. According to the Pierce County Homeless Survey of 2012, there are currently 1,997 homeless men, women, and children. Not surprisingly, many of these households report low income or loss of a job as the main reason for their homelessness. The homeless population includes a high percentage of minorities in relation to the demographics of the overall population – indicating a probable disparity between races when it comes to wealth. Pierce County has many agencies in place to provide aid to the homeless community. In fact, 90% of the homeless stated they had some form of shelter or temporary housing (Pierce County Community Connections, 2013).
Cultural Assessment Pierce County has slightly more women than men, and the majority of its population is white Judeo-Christian. There exists, however, an Asian/Pacific Islander subculture. Approximately one tenth of the current population was born in a foreign culture. The majority of these foreign-born residents came from Asian or the Pacific Islands – the majority coming from Korea and the Philippines. The next largest group of immigrants is from Latin America, and a second Hispanic/Latino subculture does exist, though it is not quite as prominent. Twelve percent of the population reported that they do not speak English as a second language, and a total of 3% do not speak English proficiently (City-data, 2012). The most common non-English languages, predictably, are Spanish and Asian/Pacific Islander languages including Korean, Filipino, and Punjabi (U.S. Census Bureau). There is also a large military presence in the area. Joint Base Lewis-McChord is located within the county, and the bases have a population of approximately 34000 (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2010). These military personnel often come from out-of-state, and many choose to stay in the area after finishing their military obligations. Though the population remains predominately white, these subcultures lend diversity to the community.
Neighborhood/Safety Assessment Pierce County has a mild climate, and it is not at a high risk for most weather concerns. The geography of the county, however, does impart several risks. The close vicinity of Mount Rainier causes a significant risk of life and property damage from lahars should the volcano erupt again. Pierce’s multiple bodies of water – there are 361 lakes larger than an acre - also pose a risk for drowning (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2010). In additional to the geographical safety hazards, Pierce County also has potential for air and water toxin exposure. Within the past decade, the county has been ranked in the “dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the U.S” for both carcinogens released in water and average cancer risk from air pollutants, and there are four major water pollution sites in the area (Scorecard). Steps are being taken by the county to decrease water pollution – an outreach program is being implemented to bring causes of water pollution to the attention of the population. Diesel emissions appear to be the number one contributor to cancer risk. Overall, though, Pierce County is rated as having good to moderate air quality throughout the year (Scorecard). Within the past five years, there has been an overall decrease in all crimes. According to the Washington State County Criminal Justice Data Book 1990-2011 (Office of Financial Management), from 2010 to 2011 all reported crimes decreased with the exception of arson, which had a minimal increase. Adult arrests for crimes, meanwhile, have increased since 2008 (Office of Financial Management), possibly leading to the decrease in crime in recent years. Pierce County’s physical health status is fair to poor. It is ranked number twenty-three out of thirty nine counties in Washington for health factors. The rates for adult obesity, adult smoking, physical activity, drinking, and STD prevalence are all above the national benchmark and still trending up. Factors leading to these high rates could include the convenience of outdoor recreational areas. Though Pierce is known for its number of recreational parks, there are only eight recreational facilities per 100,000 people, falling short of the national benchmark by half (University Of Wisconsin Population Health Institute & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012). Another factor could be the prevalence of fast food restaurants – there are over 240 in the county, accounting for roughly fifty percent of all restaurants (City-data, 2012). The Pierce County Health Department is active in the community and offers many educational opportunities and other services, but its effects have so far been minimal in the aforementioned areas. The increasing rates of poverty and unemployment noted in the economic assessment could also be correlated with these health factors as they can lead to the inability to access healthy foods and healthy recreational activities.
Disaster Assessment The Pierce County Department of Emergency Management has multiple plans for a variety of disasters: the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan deals with all natural and technological emergencies, the Mount Rainier Volcanic Hazards Response Plan addresses the status of the volcano and plans for recovery and mitigation if it erupts, and the Homeland Security Region 5 Strategic Plan addresses the possibility of a terrorist attack as well as natural disasters. Each plan includes collaboration with local and state law enforcement, emergency medical officials, emergency management officials, school officials, government agencies, and the private sector (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2008). The most prominent danger to the area is the imminent eruption of Mount Rainier. The Mount Rainier Volcanic Hazards Response Plan goes into great detail regarding evacuation routes, responsibilities of various agencies, and emergency communications. The plan does present discrepancies between the potential damage to land and homes and the available secure shelters for displaced persons. It also notes that the majority of the population underestimates the damages a volcanic eruption could cause, and that some even believe Mount Rainier to be “extinct” or “dormant” (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2008). Pamphlets were made to be distributed to the public; they are now available on-line, but are not openly visible to visitors of the Pierce County website.
Genogram Interpretation The genogram of Pierce County displays both positive and negative assessment points of the community as well as some basic information regarding the composition of the population and area. Pierce County has several factors that mark it to be in good health, such as the decreasing crime rate, its diversity, air quality, and services to the community. However, some aspects of the assessment cause the county to be ranked in a fair health category rather than a good or great health category. Poverty and unemployment are high. Certain health indicators are also high, notably adult obesity, smoking, drinking, and physical activity levels. The trend for adult obesity has been increasing since 2004, and the reported physical inactivity is also slowly trending up (University Of Wisconsin Population Health Institute & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012). Pierce County also has high rates of STDs and teen births – both of which are higher than both the national benchmark and state rates (University Of Wisconsin Population Health Institute & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012).

References
City-data (2012). Pierce County, WA. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/county/Pierce_County-WA.html
Office Of Financial Management (2012). Washington state county criminal justice data book: 1990-2011 (). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from www.ofm.wa.gov/sac/cjdatabook/default.asp
Pierce County Community Connections (2013). Pierce county homeless survey 2012 (). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from www.co.pierce.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/26475
Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management (2010). Pierce county hazard identification & risk assessment (). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from wa-piercecounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/3492
Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management (2008). Mount rainier volcanic hazards plan (). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from www.co.pierce.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/3499
Scorecard (n.d.). Scorecard the pollution information site. Retrieved from http://scorecard.goodguide.com/index.tcl
U.S. Census Bureau (n.d.). American fact finder. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
University Of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2012). County health rankings & roadmaps. Retrieved from http://countyhealthrankings.org