Welcome to the current issue of a quarterly blog featuring Whitman County Trends! The site was launched to inform the residents about many aspects of life of Whitman County, via data. The Trends is generously supported by the Port of Whitman. We hope you enjoy the blog which may take you to the website. As always, EWU and Port appreciate feedback.
Recent Updates
In PEOPLE:
Median age estimates show that Whitman County remains young.
The median is a statistic that measures the middle of a distribution of numbers. The U.S. Census recently released estimates for the county over the 2020-2024 period. (Five-year intervals are employed by Census when the population is less than 65,000.) The estimate: 26.4 years. This estimate is up from 24.7 years over the first half of the last decade (2015-2019).
Yes, the median here is far below those of the U.S. (38.9 years) and the state (38.3 years) in the 2020-2024 interval. The county is still a “college county.”
Shares of the Whitman County population taken by People of Color (POC) move a little.
The share of the county population taken by POC was estimated at 26% by the U.S. Census over the 2020-2024 interval, in data recently released. This is up considerably from the 2015-2020 period, when it stood at 21%. Still, the current total POC share lies well below those of the U.S. (43%) and Washington state (37%).
The largest, current POC group is “two or more races,” with a 8.7% share, followed closely by Hispanic/Latino (8.1%) and Asian (6.8%).
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
Shares of households with an internet connection continues to inch up in the county.
The number of Whitman County households with internet connection in the 2020-2024 period climbed by 700 over the preceding 5-year period. (Five-year intervals are employed by Census when the population is less than 65,000.) Compared to the start of the decade, the 2015-2019 period, the recent gain of nearly 900 additional households with an internet connection. As the sister indicator 3.4 shows, the overwhelming type of connection consists of “more than one type” (think broadband and cellular).
The current penetration rate, however, is still below that of the U.S. and the state. For the 2020-2024 period, those shares were 91% and 94%, respectively. These two benchmarks, however, as much less rural than Whitman County.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Recent Census estimates put the county’s MHI for the 2020-2024 period at $55,406. (Five-year intervals are employed by Census when the population is less than 65,000.) This represents a gain of nearly $13,000 from the start of the decade. Note, however, that this series is not inflation-adjusted, so the run-up in the CPI during the pandemic is part of the comparison.
MHI in the county is still considerably below the estimated levels in the U.S. and the state. For the most current period, these estimates are $80,700 and $98,100, respectively. The large portion of the population who are students skews Whitman County’s results strongly downward.
The percentage gain over since the 2015-2019 period, at 30%, has outpaced that of the U.S., at 28%, but not of the state, at 33%.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY cont:
The total number of residents employed and the county unemployment rate both dropped in 2025.
According to a recent release from the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of residents in Whitman County who are employed continued to drop in in 2025. The annual average was 20,400. This represents a decline of 2,600 from the peak in 2019. The county experience a rebound in 2021, but never regained the size of the employed ranks in 2019 and has subsequently declined to the present.
The county’s annual unemployment rate last year was 3.9%, below both rates of the U.S. (4.3%) and Washington state (4.6%). This relative showing of the county, vis-à-vis the U.S. and state, has held for most of the past 30 years.
Overall poverty rate is relatively high, but continues to decline.
The number of Whitman County households with incomes at or below the federal poverty thresholds shrunk further over the 2020-2024 period. (Five-year intervals are employed by Census when the population is less than 65,000.) Census estimated the number at 9,217. At the start of the 10-year period, the estimate was 2,000 households higher.
That said, the county rate, at nearly 23%, is much higher than U.S. and state averages, 12.5% and 9.9%, respectively for the most recent 5-year period. This result is entirely driven by students. For the most recent period, the poverty rate for the age group 18-34 was 43%. For older age groups, the rates were quite low, ranging from 8.4% to 9.4%.
In HOUSING:
Number of homeless students, by the McKinney-Vento definition increases a bit.
The number of homeless students, by the U.S. Department of Education definition, climbed a tiny bit in the most recent school year. This is a broader definition than that used by the U.S. Housing & Urban Development agency, and allows for moving from one home to another frequently. (Typically, unsheltered youth are a small fraction of the total.)
In the last school year, 2024-2025, the count of homeless K-12 students in the county was 57. That is up from a low of 51 two years ago, but considerably below the peak of 85 in the 2017-2018 school year.
The current rate is 12.2 per 1,000 enrolled K-12 students, nearly one third of the state rate.
In TRANSPORTATION:
Enplanements at Pullman-Moscow Airport grew slightly in 2024.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), boardings hit approximately 64,500 in 2024. This, however, was well below the peak attained of about 75,000 in 2022. On a per capita basis, using populations of Whitman and Latah Counties, there were 0.7 enplanements in 2024, considerably above Walla Walla airport’s results.
Based on the airport’s internal data, 2025 results, when confirmed by the FAA, will show a steep increase in enplanements, but still a bit below those of 2022.
updated 02.11.26
New Intern Features
Moon Alvarez
Hometown: Wapato, WA
Major: Accounting and Human Resources
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2028
Post-graduation plans: Follow job opportunities, whether here or otherwise!
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
My favorite thing so far is updating the indicators! I've always been a big numbers person. Updating indicators and seeing the way everything has changed over time is extremely interesting.