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 PEOPLE:
Net migration into the county ticks up slightly in 2025.
An area’s population grows in two fundamental ways: via the natural increase (births minus deaths) and more in migrants than out-bound residents. Between April 1 2024 and April 1 2025, demographers at the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM) estimated that a net 636 new residents arrived in the county. This was slightly higher than the prior 12-month period. If we take out the volatile first two years of the pandemic, in-migration this year is slightly above the average of the prior decade.
Since OFM estimated that the county population increased by 700 over the 2024 to 2025 period, nearly all the population growth can be attributed to in-migration. The degree to which students on the WSU Pullman campus influenced these numbers is difficult to ascertain. But the effect this year is likely not high, as campus enrollment stayed flat over the period.
In AGRICULTURE:
Acres of farmland in the county continues to decline.
As the most important wheat and legume-producing county in the state, Whitman’s agricultural success depends on many factors. But the availability of arable land is fundamental. The most recent estimate for land taken up by agricultural production comes from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. In that year, the estimate was 1.22 million acres. This represents 71% of the surface area of the county. The USDA question allows for counting “conservation reserve” acreage as part of the total.
As the graph reveals, this is the lowest estimate on record. In 1987, agriculture claimed 1.41 million acres, or 82% of the surface area of the county.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
The five largest sectors in the county economy show some change over the past decade.
It is often helpful to know the “structure” of the local economy. In other words, how is the economic activity distributed among the 20 sectors tracked by labor economists? One can do this via jobs or payroll, and possibly revenues. The approach of this indicator is to use jobs. The five largest employing sectors in Whitman County in 2024 are, in rank order by shares of the county workforce: government (43%), healthcare & social assistance (9%), accommodation & food services (8%), retail trade (7%), and professional, scientific, and technical services (3%). Government is obviously dominated by state government, aka Washington State University.
These shares have changed only slightly over the past decade. Gaining a little have been professional, scientific & technical services, healthcare & social assistance, as well as the hospitality sector. Declining just a bit have been government and retail trade.
Due to data suppression, county manufacturing doesn’t crack the top five list. Without suppression, however, manufacturing would certainly make the list, most likely in 2nd place.
In EDUCATION:
The Census provides quite a bit of information on educational attainment via its American Community Survey (ACS). The Trends captures four of the six broad categories. This indicator portrays two of the four. Since Whitman County falls below the current ACS threshold for annual estimates, the data are offered in moving, five-year averages.
Not surprisingly, this level of educational attainment continues to decline. Over the 2019-2023 interval, the share of the adult population (25+ years) in the county without a high school diploma was 4%; with a high school diploma or GED as the highest level achieved, 15%. In the period 2009-2013, the shares of the two categories were 4% and 19%, respectively. As the graph makes clear, these are far lower shares than those observed state-wide and nationally.
2020-2024 estimates should be out within a month.
To simplify the graph, click off the element(s) in the legend you would like to hide.
In HOUSING:
The County’s housing affordability index for all-buyers shows little improvement.
A housing affordability index (HAI), generally, is a ratio of income to mortgage costs. In this version, from the Real Estate Research Center at the University of Washington, median household income is the numerator. Specifically, in the numerator is 25% of this measure of income, as that percentage provides the upper threshold of a household’s expenses for the dwelling to be “affordable.” The denominator reflects both current housing prices and interest rates for a 30-year mortgage. The analysis covers only re-sale, not new, homes.
A value of 100 implies a household has just enough income to meet the 25% threshold. A value above 100 indicates that it has more than enough income to afford current mortgage costs.
Unfortunately, the HAI for Whitman County has been below 100 since Q1 of 2022. The current (July) value is 59. The lowest value recorded came last year in the 4th quarter, at 54. Note that for the first two thirds of the period shown, Whitman County sported very affordable index numbers, with a peak in the 4th quarter of 2015 of 173. However, a long decline started thereafter. Note further that the county’s HAI has recently been lower than the state value, a striking reversal to earlier years.
Housing affordability index for 1st time buyers not gaining much in the county.
A housing affordability index (HAI)is a ratio of income to mortgage costs. In this version, from the Real Estate Research Center at the University of Washington, 75% of the county’s median household income is in the numerator. Specifically, the numerator is 25% of this number, reflecting a long-held assumption that this percentage provides the upper bound of a household’s expenses for the dwelling to be “affordable.” The denominator reflects both current housing prices, here at 85% of the current median, and interest rates for a 30-year mortgage. The analysis covers only re-sale, not new, homes.
A value of 100 implies a household has just enough income to meet the 25% threshold. A value above 100 indicates that it has more than enough income to afford current mortgage costs.
The value of the most recent (Q2 of 2025) the1st-time buyer HAI was approximately 42. A year ago, it stood at 38, so some improvement has occurred over the past 12 months. To find a time when housing for this slice of the population in the county was (just) affordable, one needs to go back to the 4th quarters of 2020 and 2017. Since the last quarter of 2023, affordability for this slice of the housing market has been below that of the state.
Undoubtedly, the low median household income levels here, due to off-campus students, influence the general results. But their presence doesn’t explain the sharp drop-off in affordability over the past few years in the county.
In PUBLIC SAFETY:
Sexual assault crimes in the county still trending lower.
Sexual violence is a reprehensible and violent act. This indicator tracks the total of several categories of sexual assault crimes: rape, sodomy, assault with an object, forcible fondling and incest.
In 2024, the total reported consisted of 29 incidents, most of which were rape. This represents a significant decline from the peak reached in 2018, when 72 incidents were reported. The current rate is 59 per 100,000 residents, or 0.6 per 1,000. For the past four years, the county rate has been about the same as the state rate. For most of the years prior, the county rate was considerably higher.
In TOURISM, ARTS, & RECREATION:
Accommodation retail sales in the county hit an all-time high in 2024.
Measuring tourism, or visitor spending more generally, is a difficult task since very few visitors submit to spending surveys. Accommodation sales represent a relatively “clean” measure of visitor spending. In contrast to other areas of visitor spending such as at eating and drinking establishments, residents don’t dilute the results. Visitors seldom stay overnight at a hotel, B&B or campground. One can then view the trend of accommodation sales as “directional” for total visitor spending.
In 2024, spending at accommodation establishments hit a record $24 million. That is up from $18 million in pre-pandemic 2019, or cumulatively 33%. For most years since 2005, the growth rate of accommodation sales has been equal to or higher than the state average.
updated 11.19.26