In their quest to attract new jobs, leaders in the West Valley are turning to hyper-local data in hopes of slowing the flow of workers heading East. 

Sixty-nine percent of the West Valley’s workforce commutes to jobs in other parts of Maricopa County. That figure was stressed during a recent economic development summit organized by Westmarc, a public-private partnership of 15 communities. The group hired consultant Matt Miller to dig into various data sources.  

“The West Valley has a strong and talented workforce,” he said. 

Miller said the problem is that most sources report numbers based on where people work, not where they live. To attract new business, Miller said the West Valley should highlight local numbers. For example, telling prospective companies that while only 12 percent of finance and insurance jobs are located in the West Valley, 34 percent of industry workers live there. 

“If you go to somebody who’s commuting 45 minutes or more both ways for work and tell them there’s a job, a comparable job opening up for you where you can go from standing in front of your coffee maker in the kitchen to sitting at your desk in ten minutes, they’re going to be highly interested,” Miller said.

During his presentation at the summit, Greg Vogel, CEO of the Land Advisors Organization, a brokerage firm focused solely on land, said that the West Valley has the best opportunity of any region in the country.

West Valley Workforce

• 69 percent commute to other parts of county.
• 28 percent of manufacturing workers in Maricopa County live in West Valley compared to 16 percent of jobs located there.
• 37 percent of healthcare workers in Maricopa County live in West Valley compared to 21 percent of jobs located there.
• 34 percent of finance and insurance workers in Maricopa County live in West Valley compared to 12 percent of jobs.
• 40 percent of Phoenix residents live west of Interstate 17.
• 62 percent of the West Valley’s population is workforce age.

Source: Westmarc