Jämtland County

Jämtland is a sparsely populated county. Just over 130,000 people are spread across eight municipalities, only one county in the country has fewer inhabitants, and most of the land is forest, lake and mountain. In the middle of the county lies Storsjön, with Östersund on its shore. To the west the mountains take over towards the Norwegian border, and to the east the Indalsälven river follows a valley lined with small villages. Winter is not a season here but the basic condition of life. It decides what people do in their free time, where the jobs are and how far it feels to the next place.

One town and seven rural areas

Östersund, with just under 65,000 inhabitants, is the county's only real town and has most of what you need: restaurants, cinemas, theatre, museums, a university campus and a job market that has become increasingly focused on IT. The town is growing slowly, and a third of adults have studied beyond upper secondary school, well above the national average. Every other municipality is small. Ragunda, Bräcke and Berg have between five and just over seven thousand inhabitants each, and there you will usually find a main village with a few shops and cafés, and beyond that it is cars and distances.

The county as a whole sits below the national level on income and is growing more slowly, but the figures hide big differences. Åre is growing fastest, and the municipality has the county's youngest population. Krokom is growing too, as people settle within commuting distance of Östersund. Strömsund, on the other hand, has lost almost four per cent of its inhabitants in three years, and Bräcke, Ragunda and Berg are shrinking as well. The average age is highest in Bräcke, closely followed by Strömsund, Härjedalen and Ragunda.

Money, jobs and commuting

Incomes range from SEK 298,000 in Strömsund to over SEK 362,000 in Krokom. Strömsund is among the very lowest in the country, with many households on a low economic standard and a job market built on forestry, small businesses and the public sector. Berg, Bräcke and Ragunda are only slightly higher, and in all three the share with post-secondary education is low. Within the municipalities the gaps are clear. In Berg the main village, Svenstavik, has markedly lower incomes than Hackås, and in Ragunda a low economic standard is more common in Hammarstrand than in the western part.

At the same time, unemployment for the county as a whole is lower than the national rate, and lowest in Krokom, Åre and Härjedalen. Tourism provides jobs for young people in the mountain municipalities, and in several inland municipalities young people quickly find work. The jobs are often seasonal or do not require a university degree, so anyone with an academic career in mind will have to look to Östersund.

Krokom is the county's clearest commuter municipality. Just over half of those in work travel out to their jobs, mainly towards Östersund, and house prices are noticeably lower than in the town. In Bräcke and Berg many commute out too, and in Bräcke the train stops at several villages along the main northern line. Åre and Härjedalen live by the season. In Åre the town can feel lonely in the off season, and living there is more expensive than elsewhere in the mountains.

Everyday life and the downsides

A car is a necessity throughout the county, in town as in the countryside, and public transport is sparse. The distances are the real downside. In Härjedalen and Strömsund it is a long way between villages, and even those living in Östersund notice that the train to the rest of Sweden takes time. Darkness and cold from October onwards are a test for anyone not used to them.

Safety looks good. No municipality in the county has an area on the police list of vulnerable areas, and crime levels are generally below the national level, lowest in Krokom. What causes concern is rather depopulation, an ageing population, a weak service base and incomes that lag behind, above all inland.

Jämtland suits those who want nature close at hand and cheaper housing outside Östersund, and who are happy with distance, snow and stillness. Anyone who needs the pace of a city, short journeys to the rest of the country or a broad job market should think twice, especially in the small municipalities to the north and east.