Economist, Solvang Chamber of Commerce

Most spending by tourists in California originates in other states and countries. The graph shows that about six dollars in ten came from outside the state in 2018. 

Spending by California residents was $51.9 billion, or 40.6 percent of the total. Visitors from other parts of the U.S. spent $47.7 billion here, or 37.3 percent of total spending. International visitors spent $28.3 billion (22.1 percent). 

Together these visitors from other places in the U. S. and elsewhere in the world spent $76.0 billion at destinations in California, or 59.4 percent of total visitor spending. 

California residents spent 40.6 percent of the $127.9 billion total.

Spending here by international visitors counts as exports from the United States. Tourism in California produces more export value for the United States ($28 billion a year) than do California’s agricultural exports ($21 billion a year). 

Solvang welcomes visitors from California, other places in the U. S., and other countries. Visitors to Solvang find a wide range of appealing goods and services from which to choose.

Go online to Visit California, “California Travel Impacts 2010-2018,” page 5, for details of destination spending in California. Agricultural exports are reported online by California Department of Food and Agriculture, “California Agricultural Statistics Review 2017-2018,” page 105.

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By Kenneth Harwood

Five places in our local economic area show differences in average income, which is revealed by looking at taxable personal income, as reported by ZIP code.

The report comes from the California for the 2013 tax year. The bar graph displays average dollars of taxable income per return.

Income per return is just that. Some returns are for one taxpayer. Others are for two or more tax payers. Some people owe less or more than they should. Some taxpayers live alone, and some with others. The reported amounts are average dollars of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) per return. AGI in California differs from AGI on federal income tax returns, because AGI is defined differently in the two jurisdictions.

Taxable personal income often is less than total income, for some income might be non-taxable.

We are able to see that average AGI per California tax return clearly differs between communities, each community being the ZIP code of one of the five places. And we know that AGI per return can and does differ within ZIP codes. Three tiers appear with Los Alamos and Buellton on the first level, Los Olivos and Solvang on the second, and Santa Ynez on the third.

Knowing AGI by community permits us to estimate where we might choose to live or to work. We are able to use AGI to help us to decide where the best customers are for a business, to plan advertising, to locate a retail business, and more.

Solvang has one ZIP code for street deliveries, and a second for deliveries to boxes in its post office. The two are combined in the graph.

Average dollars per return were calculated on information that can be seen online at California Franchise Tax Board, Economic Research Bureau. The site lists personal income tax statistics, number of tax returns filed, total dollars of adjusted gross income, and self-assessed tax process, in 2013 original returns, as of January 2014.

Kenneth Harwood is the economist for the Solvang Chamber of Commerce.

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