Back See this section in context: Profile of Sauk

Economic Context

The Sauk college district is predominantly rural. Most of the manufacturers that formed the early tax base of the district have closed or moved, leaving a primarily service economy (see Figure i).

Findings from the FY09 study, described below, show the shift in employment opportunities:

• Manufacturing jobs: In Lee County, from 19.3% in 2000 to 17.2% in 2007; in Whiteside County, from 35.7% in 1970 to 17.9% in 2007
• Service jobs: In Lee County, from 13.4% in 1970 to 28.6% in 2007; in Whiteside County, from 12.9% in 1970 to 26.9% in 2007

The loss of manufacturing jobs and recent economic uncertainty have had the expectable consequence on local employment, with the three counties that form the bulk of the Sauk district all ranking near the top of the state unemployment report (see Figure ii).

New warehousing and packaging businesses along Interstate 88 have provided some new employment opportunities, and negotiations between the state and federal government could eventually open an unused state prison in the Carroll County town of Thomson as a federal facility.

The economic climate is changing the community in ways significant to the college:

• The poverty level is climbing, as evidenced in Figure iii by free and reduced lunch eligibility rates in the feeder schools:

• The region is losing school-age population, as evidenced by declining enrollments at the high schools in the Sauk district shown in Figure iv:

In FY09, the Board of Trustees requested a study to determine why some Illinois community colleges were growing and how Sauk compared to those institutions with the highest growth.  The resulting study, which was used in developing the FY10 Strategic Plan, revealed several demographic characteristics of the Sauk district that differed from the high-growth districts:

• Proportion of district served: ICCB data showed that Sauk is comparable to the ten high growth districts in the percentage of population using its services. Against a state average of 4.0%, Sauk’s rate was 7.2%, compared to just under 7.5% for the comparison group. However, Sauk showed an increase of 1.5%, while 7 of the 10 other districts showed a decrease ( -1.3 – -1.6%).
• Population: The comparison group had an increase in total population averaging 7.8%, compared to the state average increase of 3.2% and the drop in Sauk’s district population (-2.2%).
• Age: Sauk’s population is older: average median age is 40.4 years, compared to 34 years in the growing districts. Sauk had fewer under the age of 18 (22.2%) than the comparison group (26%) and more over the age of 44 (43.3%) than growing districts (33%).
• Finance: The top 10 districts tended to be wealthier: Although schools inside Chicago had lower median incomes, the average median household income for the comparison group ($53,271) was significantly higher than the average in the Sauk district of $45,700.
• Educational attainment: Compared to Illinois totals for amount of education, Sauk residents (26.4%) are less likely to have any college degree than the state average (39.7%). And although Sauk runs ahead of the Illinois average for high school diplomas, it is markedly lower in both bachelor and graduate degree holders (see Figure v). One measure of Sauk’s contribution to the district may be seen in the 10.5% of residents who have associate’s degrees, compared to 7.4% of state residents.