End of Summer Business & Workforce Straw Poll

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Project Engagement
Views 1,970
Participants 481
Responses 9,396
Comments 398
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Please tell us about your work situation - click all that apply.
  • 24461%Year round
  • 20351%Employee
  • 15138%I work an average of 20-45 hours per week
  • 13734%Salaried
  • 11829%I work more than 45 hours per week
  • 11328%Business Owner
  • 10326%Manager/Operator
  • 8220%I'm a hard working volunteer!
  • 5915%I have more than 1 job
  • 5814%Hourly
  • 318%I work an average of 0-20 hours per week
  • 297%Seasonal
401 Respondents
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Please describe your industry - select all that apply
  • 7919%Non profit
  • 7318%Professional Services
  • 6516%Other
  • 5213%Land Management - Forest, Park Service
  • 5113%Lodging/short term rentals
  • 4912%Public Sector - government, schools
  • 389%Retail
  • 348%Recreation/Guide Services/Outfitter
  • 338%Property management
  • 287%Restaurant
  • 287%Marketing and Advertising
  • 236%Construction and Real Estate
  • 143%Arts/Entertainment/Sports
  • 133%Technology - software, ecommerce, etc.
  • 51%Agriculture/Ranching
  • 20%Manufacturing
408 Respondents
Our elected officials continue to approve luxury condos and high priced hotels. Tourist businesses exacerbate the need for short-term, seasonal housing when the Teton County Comp Plan has prioritized housing for long-term, residents of the County. And then, elected officials, seasonal workers and owners of hotels, restaurants and other tourist related businesses expect the whole community to help them house their seasonal employees. And this selfish, greedy attitude pushes elected officials and hotel owners into trying to move housing into rural areas of Teton County--- for the benefit of the tourist industry business owners. When do the long-term residents, kids who grew up in Teton County and can't afford to live in their community and retired workers matter? Why does the tourist industry get all the benefits? I am tired of the inequality, focus on growth and greed and pressure on the true long-term residents to pay unaffordable property taxes and provide housing for the short-term seasonal workers for wealthy, tourist related business owners.
Reply12 Agree2 years ago
You should have a category for the arts (museum/gallery workers/artists)
Reply10 Agree2 years ago
Enough promotion of Jackson Hole! We’re on the map. We don’t need further summer promotion. We keep cramming more and more people into this valley. We now have poor water quality in our streams and overcrowded national parks. This diminishes the quality of the experience of living in or visiting Jackson Hole
Reply9 Agree2 years ago
You should have a cxategopry for retired... AND FOR THOSE OF US THAT ARE, MANY OF US WORKED 40-60-80 HOURS A WEEK!!
Reply9 Agree2 years ago
I am sure the ecosystem in Jackson is long gone. We have huge pollution here (carbon foot print), bad water and lots of traffic.people think it is only natural for a town to become a city but not when the city is "the wild west". That is also long gone. Seems like luxury, parties, destruction of natural resources and "wild life" is taken with a grain of salt. (i.e snowking mountain with her huge scars front and back previously protected for wildlife..They close Josie for wildlife purposes..for wildlfe??..Think about the name wildlife. I would love to keep Jackson reasonable small. ?What is wrong with that
Reply6 Agree2 years ago
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How would you characterize the level of visitation county-wide this summer?
38%
Average
27%
High
24%
Unsustainable
10%
Slow
1%
Not applicable/I don't know
435 respondents
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How do you anticipate your business fared financially this summer?
381 responses
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How do you anticipate you personally fared financially this summer?
395 responses
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How challenging were the following issues related to your business or work situation this summer?
383 responses
It's concerning how the shoulder season keeps shrinking. We already have too many tourists, yet the Chamber, the Town Council, County Commissioners, & others keep pushing more & more tourism. Why? Greed?
The quality of life for our workforce will keep deteriorating & housing will keep getting more expensive until such time we stop promoting tourism to the level at which currently pushed. Current housing prices & tourism numbers with the increasing difficulty placed upon the workforce is UNSUSTAINABLE. Do local leaders understand the situation & care enough to help solve the problems we face? Or will greed keep winning over quality of life?
Reply49 Agree2 years ago
It's very difficult to enjoy the area we live in because parking lots are full, activities are sold out, restaurants are full, etc.
Reply34 Agree2 years ago
My biggest concern is housing. Long term locals who built the foundations we all live on, and families that have been here for years are being pushed out becasue their taxes are increasing to an unsustainable rate, and our elected officials have done nothing to attempt to grandfather these individuals in. Our community is no longer what it was.
Reply27 Agree2 years ago
Why do we want Disney Land more more! Ask anyone who actually works for a living and you will get same answer.
Reply14 Agree2 years ago
We are losing businesses and Jackson workforce who have been vital mainstays of this community. They can’t afford or find retail space or offices, and forget about finding an affordable place to live.
Why are we building hotels, expanding tourism and turning this into a playground for uber wealthy seasonal residents?! Who is going to be left to feed and provide services to these residents and tourists?
Reply8 Agree2 years ago
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How did the following affect your business or place of work financially this summer?
356 responses
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Would you like to have more or fewer customers at your business/place of work during the summer?
37%
Just about right
30%
Fewer
16%
More
16%
Not applicable/I don't know
360 respondents
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Lodging occupancy in Teton County, Wyoming was down overall compared to both record-breaking years of 2021 and 2019. What do you think are the top three reasons?
  • 163Rank: 1.9067%Gas prices
  • 113Rank: 2.4447%Inflation
  • 140Rank: 2.5058%Cost of visiting Jackson Hole
  • 11Rank: 2.555%Other - please describe in the comment box below
  • 118Rank: 2.5549%Yellowstone Closure
  • 109Rank: 2.6545%Airport closure
  • 108Rank: 2.8045%Opening of international/other destinations
  • 44Rank: 4.0918%Reputation of Jackson Hole
  • 30Rank: 4.7012%Covid-19
  • 16Rank: 7.197%Lack of advertising/promotion
242 Respondents
Jackson Hole has gotten so expensive & I hear from so many middle income families that simply can no longer afford to stay in local hotels, or do so at great expense. Prices in Jackson Hole are ridiculous and greed keeps driving prices further higher.
Reply20 Agree2 years ago
The cost of staying in Jackson is beyond the means of a normal family of 4.
Reply13 Agree2 years ago
I repeat my comment from above: why do we want to continue to grow? No one has a good time when everything is crazy busy and crazy expensive.
Reply10 Agree2 years ago
According to the poll results above, 69% of respondents would "like to have more customers at business/place of work during the summer."
Excuse me but...WHERE ARE THE EMPLOYEES GOING TO COME FROM??? The 69% response rate that want MORE CUSTOMERS...sounds quite detached from reality, i.e., the lack of employees & the housing crisis here in Jackson Hole. Are these employers prepared to pay a living wage AND to house the extra employees needed to take care of the "more customers" desired? Probably not.
Reply8 Agree2 years ago
Hotel prices have gotten absolutely ridiculous as well as restaurant prices! Because businesses are paying ridiculous lease amounts! And have to pay there employees that still cant afford to live here. Jackson is going to be another Aspen. Stores will close and they will no employees. Everyone will move to bedroom communities and stay and work there.
Reply6 Agree2 years ago
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Thank you for your feedback! Your answers have been recorded.

Bonus Question: What's one word to describe your summer in the Tetons?
why-didnt-we-use-all-the-money-that-went-toward-this-unnecessary-tourism-study-on-affordable-housing-for-locals
Reply22 Agree2 years ago
wishing it was 1989 again. fred's market, calico, tiny teton village which looked like a post card from the Alps. working, skiing, family time. living in a decent rental house that was very affordable. you knew, or at least recognized the face of almost everybody in town. that is such toast. forever. thank you JH Chamber and Travel & Tourism Board for marketing our "wild" place, all across the US, Europe, China. Bring more people in, what a great idea!!! Oh, and good job Commissioners allowing a re-vote on Shooting Star. $$$ changing hands in dead of night? And thanks for approving all the new hotels. Good thing we have so much housing for all those to-be-needed workers to live in.
Reply17 Agree2 years ago
It is hard for me to feel any connection or community spirit when I am in Jackson. The place no longer feels western, rustic or rural. There are hords of people who look like New Yorkers.
Reply12 Agree2 years ago
Better than the last 2!!
Reply6 Agree2 years ago
We are loosing our small quaint town which is why people come to Jackson. We are just becoming another Aspen/Vail. No longer anything unique about Jackson. To many motel/hotels. By limiting the # of people than have a place to stay, we can control the number of visitors and keep manageable. We do not have the infrastructure to handle the influx.
Businesses are greedy, never enough $$ for them. Prices are outrageous, taking advantage of hard times. It is a viscous circle, more business need more employees, need more housing, causes more traffic and pollution. Time to limit the # of people coming to our town. This will help to keep it unique..
Reply4 Agree2 years ago