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:
The population of northeast Washington grew very slowly last year.
Residents in the three counties did not increase their numbers much between April of this and of last year. The state of Washington’s demographers estimated a gain of only 250 people. Or a percentage jump of a mere 0.4%. This was the lowest percentage increase since 2016.
The recent growth rate represents a departure from the pandemic and post-pandemic years to-date, where the average growth rate was about 0.7%. On a percentage basis, Pend Oreille County picked up the most residents in the past four years among the three counties.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
The region’s overall average annual wage increased last year at the fastest rate in a decade.
Wage earnings represent the largest component of personal income for a local economy. (Federal transfer payments and investment income are the other components.) Wage levels reflect a variety of factors – the mix of industries, the presence of unions and the degree of rurality, among other factors. Rapidly rising wages usually connote a robust economy.
In 2024, the average annual wage in the three counties was about $55,000. This represented a 5.3% increase. In the 10 years prior, the annual average increase was 3.4%. Ferry County experienced the largest increase among the three counties, at 9%. The 3-county average annual wage still lies about $40,000 below the state average, however.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
Annual taxable retail sales in the three counties grew at the same rate as the state in 2024.
Taxable retail sales largely reflect the state of the consumer economy. And their taxes are critical to the operation of local governments.
Last year represented an all-time high for the total of the three counties, with $1.2 billion registered with the Washington Department of Revenue. But the increase was minimal, at 1.2%. Still, the rate tied the state’s growth. And since the outbreak of the pandemic (2020), the growth rate of this key measure has been higher than that of the state.
Net jobs created in the three counties fell significantly in 2024.
Every economic development professional, as well as elected officials, point to job creation as key to economic success. This measure does not consider job creation only, but also job losses throughout the year. Hence, it is a net figure.
2024 was not a strong year for job creation in northeast Washington. The net job creation number of 142 was the lowest in a decade (2013), outside of the first pandemic year. But net job creation was tepid as well in the state overall.
In EDUCATION:
The public high school, on-time graduation rate remains stagnant in northeast Washington.
Graduating from high school marks an important milestone in a person’s education and life. The rate at which its students graduate (or not) is also a key metric of a school district’s success. This indicator looks at the share of a cohort of 9th graders who graduate four years later.
The average among all districts in the three counties registered nearly 73% in school year 2023-2024. The rate has not budged in the past three years and represents a decline from the peak attained in school year 2016-2017. Except for that year, the on-time graduation rate average of the districts in the three counties has been below the state average.
In EDUCATION cont.:
Since the 2014-2015 school year, most public-school students in Washington have been required to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment each spring. It covers English, mathematics, and for some grades, science. This indicator tracks the shares of students, by three grades, who have met or exceeded the standard expected of them for that grade level for the English portion.
Over all school districts in the three counties in school year 2023-2024, 33% of 4th graders, 45% of 7th graders and 57% of 10th graders met standard. These shares represent an increase over the prior three years but a significant decline from the two immediate pre-pandemic years.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
In HEALTH:
Cancer at the top of shares of deaths by leading causes.
Knowing what residents succumb to can help public health and clinical care professionals guide their time and resources. The four leading causes in northeast Washington (and in the state) are: cancer, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s. Since 2020, covid-19 has been included.
For 2023, the most recent year with data, cancer claimed the largest share, at 23%; heart disease followed, at 19%. The three other leading causes – stroke, Alzheimer’s and covid-19 – registered shares of 4%, 4%, and 3%, respectively. These shares are like the shares throughout the state, although heart disease here is a bit more prevalent.
To simplify the graph, click on the items in the legend you would like to hide.
Primary care physicians are slowly becoming more prevalent here.
Primary care is the cornerstone of access to healthcare services. While other professions, such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurses contribute greatly to primary care, only the number of doctors (MD or DO) are currently tracked at the county level.
There is some progress to report for the three counties overall. While the coverage of these doctors has always been below the state average, the gap has narrowed. For the most recent available year (2024), the source (County Health Rankings) tallied 71 per 100,000 residents, or approximately 50 doctors. The state average was 83 per 100,000. On a percentage basis, Ferry County showed the most; Pend Oreille County, the fewest.
In HOUSING:
The median home resale price has leveled off but remains far above pre-pandemic levels.
Price matters, especially for the largest purchase a household will typically make. In addition, price matters for employers who care about the ability of their staff to afford a home. This measure tracks the quarterly, “middle” value (median, not average) for homes that have already been constructed.
The pandemic run-up in prices did not hit northeast Washington as hard as most areas in the state, but it was noticeable. In the first quarter of 2020, the median price in the three counties was about $190,000. Two years later, it was about $290,000, peaking in Q2 of 2022. The last year has brought continuing moderation, as the median price in Q1 of this year was about $326,000. For the state overall? More than double, at $674,000.
In PUBLIC SAFETY:
Violent crime elicits disgust and fear. Understandably, the desire level and rate of this crime is zero. This indicator tracks the combined incidents of aggravated assault, robbery, rape and murder on an annual basis. To enable comparisons, the incidents are also displayed as a rate per 1,000 residents.
According to the Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs, the three counties experienced 78 violent crimes in 2024. This tied the number from 2023. Both years represent a significant increase from the recent low of 2019, when 49 took place. Expressed as a population-based rate, though, violent crime in the three counties is one-fifth to one third of the state rate.
list updated 08.07.25
New Intern Features
Mason Moore
Hometown: Wenatchee, Wa
Major: Information Systems & Business Analytics, Finance
Expected Graduation Date: Fall 2025
Post-graduations plans: Attend graduate school and get a good job!
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far: I really enjoy the process of troubleshooting and working through the puzzles that come with data analysis, no two indicators are ever the same, and that keeps things interesting and engaging. I’ve also really appreciated the opportunity to work with such a thoughtful and collaborative team. The people I get to work with make the experience even more rewarding.
Matthew Sandell
Hometown: Bremerton, WA
Major: Double-majoring in Economics and Data Analytics
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2026
Post-graduation plans: Get a job involved with economic development and/or public policy, either local or international.
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far: There are so many different puzzles to solve. My favorite part of the Trends project is rebuilding or creating new datasets. Often, we have to make judgement calls on what data is important and how to present that data. Fundamentally, we're here to tell a story, and I love finding the most efficient way to achieve that through thoughtful and creative data organization.