Welcome to the first edition of the blog for Northeast Washington Trends! The blog captures the most recent updates to the indicators on the Northeast Washington Trends website, and will be sent out on a quarterly basis. Northeast Washington Trends would like to thank the Tri-county Economic Development District, Providence Medical, and other contributors for their support of the project.
Recent Updates
In PEOPLE:
Share of Population by Age Groups
The distribution by age of the three counties departs significantly from the Washington average, especially in two of the four groups tracked by this indicator. First, young adults (18-34) most recently show an average share of approximately 15%. Washington’s: about 23%. Further, the share of older adults (65+) in the three counties is much larger than the state average: about 28% to 18%.
Total and Share of Households with Broadband Access
Broadband has become the new essential infrastructure, much like good roads were a few decades ago. It is no surprise that the three counties, given their rurality, lag the penetration rate of both the U.S. and the state. However, the trend is decidedly positive, increasing from 68% a decade ago to nearly 82% over the 2018-2022 interval. (Estimates for the 5-year period 2019-2023 will be available in January.)
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
New Business Applications & Annual Growth Rate
New business applications give an idea of the entrepreneurial spirit of a local economy. While they don’t all lead to new businesses, most do. By this measure, the pandemic brought a large increase in entrepreneurship in the three counties. In 2023, 710 applications were noted by Census; in 2019, the count was 474. The rate here is very similar to the state rate.
In HEALTH:
Total and Share of Population With A Disability
Disability takes many forms, largely along physical and cognitive lines. Disability status is also correlated with age. While the number of tri-county residents with at least one disability has remained the same over the past 15 years, the rate is far above the state average. In the period 2018-2022, about one fifth of all residents claimed at least one disability. That is far higher than the U.S. and state averages, about 13%. (Estimates for the 2019-2023 period will be out in January.)
In HOUSING:
Total and Share of Owner-Occupied Paying 30% or More of Their Household Incomes for Shelter Costs
Federal agencies regard a household paying 30% or more of its income on shelter costs (mortgage plus utilities and taxes) as “cost burdened.”
For the tri counties, the trend over the past 15 years has been one of a decline of cost burdened households. The peak was reached over the interval 2007-2011, with nearly 5,800 home-owning households. Most recently, the estimated count was approximately 4,400.
In HOUSING CONT.:
Like other parts of Washington, the pandemic brought a run-up in existing home prices. (This series does not include new construction.) In Q4 of 2019, the median price in the three counties was about $201,000. In Q4 of last year, the median was nearly $318,000. That’s a 58% increase.
In 2023 and this year, the price increases in the tri-counties have been modest by comparison.
Housing Affordability Index for All Homebuyers
This housing affordability index (HAI) is calculated as the area median household income, divided by the mortgage costs of a median (resale) priced house. A value greater than 100 indicates affordability; a value less than 100 signifies a lack of affordability.
The tri-county all-buyer HAI was last signaling affordability in the first quarter of 2022. Since then, housing has become slightly unaffordable. The most recent (Q2 2024) HAI value was 78.
In PUBLIC SAFETY:
Total Property Crimes & Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Property crimes reported to law enforcement have in recent years in the tri counties dropped substantially. In 2023, there were 584 in all three counties. That was a rate of 8.5 per 1,000 residents. Compare to a decade ago (2014), when the number was slightly over 1,000 and the rate was double, at 17.7 per 1,000 residents
The property crime rate in the tri counties has typically been far lower than property crime rate in the U.S. and the state.
Total Domestic Violence Offenses & Rate Per 1,000 Residents
Domestic violence has captured the attention of the public since it takes place within a family. Thankfully, the number and rate of these offenses has dropped significantly since 2015. The 2023 count in all three counties was 432. That translates into a rate of 6.3 per 1,000 residents. Compare to the 2014 count and rate in the three counties of 623 and 9.6 per 1,000.
list updated 11.20.24
New Intern Features
Drew Dillon
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Major: Economics and Business System Analytics
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
Post-graduation plans: Find a good job in a new city.
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
The actual work for sure. What I do for The Insitute does not feel like work most of the time. I enjoy solving the puzzles that come with data analysis and there are lots of puzzles to be solved here. I also really enjoy the people I work with. Dr. Cullen and Dr. Jones are amazing, as well as my fellow interns. We make a great team.
Kellan Burns
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
Post-graduation plans: Start a career as a software developer.
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
My favorite thing so far is seeing the real-life meaning of our work. The data we collect often tells a different story from what people expect, and I think it makes people look at the world a bit differently. I’ve already learned lots here, and I’m excited for this year with Dr. Jones, Dr. Cullen, and the other interns at The Institute.