Welcome to the first 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 ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Average annual wage breaches $60,000 in 2023 but the gap to Washington widened.
The average annual wage (or earnings) covers the largest contributor to personal income. The data come from all firms which pay into the state’s unemployment insurance fund. Its level reflects a variety of factors of a local economy: sectoral mix, location, the presence of labor unions, among others.
For 2023, the average annual wage in Whitman County was $60,800. This represented nearly a 6% increase over 2022. In pre-pandemic 2019, the county’s average annual wage for $10,000 lower. Yet, the state value in 2023 was far higher, about $87,000, 43% higher. A decade ago, the Washington average was 28% higher.
The dotted lines show inflation-adjusted or “real” values. After declining for two years, 2023 marked a slight uptick in real terms. 2024 data will be out within a month.
A local economy ideally has a well-diversified set of industries, much like most of us strive for in our personal investment portfolios. This is more difficult to achieve in a small economy, such as Whitman County. One can look at the sector breakdown through worker headcount, or as here, through total wages paid.
It is no surprise that the county sector with the largest total wage “bill” is government, at 47% in 2023. This includes federal, state & local governments. Some diversification has occurred over the past decade. Unlike most Washington counties where local government is the largest contributor due to the size of school districts, the predominant government “type” is state government there. Healthcare ranked second in 2023.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
New business applications accelerated during the pandemic.
Every local economy wants to foster entrepreneurship. One way of assessing this is via tracking business starts. Those data, however, are unavailable at the county level. However, Census does offer applications data.
The data from this indicator are clear: the pandemic and immediately post-pandemic period (2023) bumped up new business applications significantly. The annual total in years 2021-2023 were considerably above the number in the three pre-pandemic years: 2017-2019. Yet, the growth rate here over since 2020 has been below the rate of the state.
Multifamily residential building permits collapsed in 2024.
In a community with the demographics of Whitman County, apartment living is very prevalent. The number permitted units of multi-family tracks the size of the supply response to perceived demand.
As the indicator graph shows, the number of annually permitted multi-family units over the past five years as swung dramatically. They were over 300 in 2021 but close to zero during 2020 and 2024.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
Youth living in poverty have declined over the past decade.
Given the huge influence of college students on Whitman County economic metrics such as income and poverty, it makes to sense to drill down in a measure. This indicator looks at the number and share of children (0-17 years) who are in families in poverty. The poverty threshold varies family size. For example, a family of four, say with two adults and two children, was $31,200 in 2024; a family of three, $25,820.
Due to the small population of Whitman County, Census estimates are expressed in rolling 5-year averages. For the most recent period, 2019-2023, Census estimated that, on average, 805 youth lived in poverty in the county, for a rate of 11%. For the preceding 5-year period, the rate was 14.1%.
In EDUCATION:
The value of early childhood education needs little motivation. Studies consistently show the positive impact that preschool has on children entering the school system, either in kindergarten or first grade. This measure tracks the penetration of the preschool experience among the young children in Whitman County.
Over the most recent period, 2019-2023, the share was about 45% for the county, statistically the same as for the benchmarks, Washington state and the U.S. The local share has been as high as 58% in recent years.
Graduation from high school is a significant milestone for students and their families. The rate at which students graduate is also an important component of a school district’s report card. The conventional measure tracks a cohort of 9th graders for 4 years; this measure allows students in the cohort to take an additional year to graduate.
In HOUSING:
One-bedroom rents have climbed a lot over the past years, as has the vacancy rate.
The home ownership rate in Whitman County is quite low, as indicator 6.1.1 reveals. This should come as no surprise, given the huge presence of college students among the population. Of great interest, then, to a large part of the local population are rental rates. This indicator tracks the measure for one-bedroom units and provides the vacancy rate for that size of unit.
In early 2025, the average rent for this unit type in Whitman County was $916. At the start of 2019, the average rent was $702. The vacancy rate in early 2025 was the highest on record, at nearly 14%. This is more than twice the state rate for one-bedroom units.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
The home ownership rate in Whitman County is quite low, as indicator 6.1.1 reveals. This should come as no surprise, given the huge presence of college students among the population. Of great interest, then, to a large part of the local population are rental rates. This indicator tracks that measure for two-bedroom units and provides the vacancy rate for that size of unit.
In early 2025, the average rent for this unit type in Whitman County was $1,107. At the start of 2019, the average rent was $851. The vacancy rate in early 2025 was nearly 9%, considerably lower than for one-bedroom units. The state rate for two-bedroom units in early 2025 was a bit above 5%.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
In TRANSPORTATION:
Local government expenditures on road maintenance are higher here than statewide.
One of the largest budget categories in municipal government is road maintenance. In sparsely populated rural counties roads are vital for commerce and personal traffic. This indicator measures road maintenance expenditures among all entities in Whitman County two ways: per capita and as a share of total personal income.
In 2023, per capita expenditures among all jurisdictions in the county amounted to $156. This marks the fourth year where the average county resident “outspent” the average Washingtonian on road maintenance.
When measured by the share of the average county resident’s pocketbook flowing to road maintenance, Whitman County’s gap to the state is even larger. In 2023, $3.37 per $1,000 of personal income, or approximately 0.3% of total personal income in the county, was spent on road maintenance, versus $2.05, or 0.2% in the state. For all years tracked, Whitman County has spent more on road maintenance than the state, measured by share of personal income.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
updated 06.16.25
New Intern Features
Cameron Burns
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2027
Post-graduation plans: Start a career designing computer systems.
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
My favorite part of work is how the data we use reflects real people and communities. It's satisfying knowing the work we do goes to people who use it to make a difference.
Malina Weigel
Hometown: Okanogan, WA
Major: Economics Major w/ a minor in business administration
Expected Graduation Date: June 2026
Post-graduation plans: I’m hoping to go to graduate school for Economics or Data Science!
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
In the time I’ve been working here my favorite thing is definitely being challenged to learn new topics I haven’t had experience with before.