Move Your Business

Historically, the basic industries of Lake County have been generated by agriculture and timber resources.  The Town of Lakeview is surrounded by lands managed by Federal agencies including the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Workforce

The local labor pool has a high work ethic with low absenteeism.  The civilian labor force in the Lakeview area (July 96) is approximately 2,050.  The minimum wage is currently $8.80 per hour.  The average wage in Lake County is $11.93 per hour. 

Industry and business use a federally-funded job training program when employees need to upgrade work skills and retraining.  Lakeview is also fortunate to have two training opportunities available locally.  Klamath/Lake Employment Training Institute provides business training for unemployed, low-income, and dislocated workers.  Klamath Community College also has a branch in Lakeview, providing continuing education and coursework towards AA degrees.  For those willing to travel, Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) in Klamath Falls is only 95 miles from Lakeview, and Central Oregon Community College (COCC) in Bend is 170 miles north of Lakeview.

Primary Industries

Agriculture

More than 736,694 acres of land in Lake County are dedicated to private agricultural use.  Approximately 70% of yearly agricultural revenues are generated by cattle sales.  Other local products include hay, barley, wheat and oats.  In 2003, agricultural revenues represented $43 million to the county's economy.

Wood Products

Wood Products manufacturing represents an additional 20% of Lake County's total payroll employment.  One advantage the county has is the Federal mandate from the 1940's that requires a certain portion of Fremont National Forest's timber sales to be sold to mills within a seven-mile radius of Lakeview and Paisley.  The mandate also favors bids for materials form local secondary manufacturers in order to increase the number of jobs in the community.  This industry represents 98% of the county's total manufacturing. The largest manufacturing firms in the area include:

   -Fremont Sawmill Co.

   -McFarland Door Manufacturing Company Inc.

   -Pacific Pine Products Inc.