Welcome to Spokane County!
Spokane County and environs form the 97th largest MSA by population, but combines the best of both a large and small city environment. A large, rushing river runs through the County, with lakes and mountains within a half an hour drive. The community is home for four universities, a diversifying economy, significant sports and cultural events.
Recent Updates:
In PEOPLE:
The recently released American Community Survey from the U.S. Census estimates that the share of People of Color (POC) in the county’s population was 20.4% in 2024. That’s up about a percentage point from the prior year. Significantly, the share is up from 15% a decade ago. The current share is far below the current shares of POC in the state and national population, at 39% and 44%, respectively, for 2024. The growth rate here over the past decade, however, has been faster.
The POC population share in the city of Spokane, according to the estimates, was higher than the county average, at about 25%. The largest groups county-wide were Hispanic/Latinos, at 7.5%, and 2 or more races, at 6.8%, of the total population.
To simplify the graph, click off those items in the legend you would like to hide.
Registered voters have risen slightly recently in Spokane County.
One of the fundamental rights of American society is the ability to cast a ballot confidentially for one’s leaders and for or against various proposals. Voting is also an obligation. Consequently, one measure of the engagement of community is the level of registered voters. This indicator tracks this number as a share of the adult population (18+). The Download Data tab contains the annual number of registered voters in the county, currently at about 375,000.
The share calculations, however, do not eliminate non-citizens or felons who have lost their right to vote. The Institute has no way of knowing these numbers accurately. Consequently, the calculated share is likely lower than the real share. Still, Census estimates that the county has a much lower share of non-citizens than the state of Washington, so the calculations for the county are likely not too low.
This year, 85% of eligible voters (by age) were registered. As the graph shows, this is a far higher percentage than statewide, currently at 81%.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Median household income exceeds the U.S. median for the first time.
The American Community Survey (U.S. Census) estimated that median household income (MHI) in Spokane County hit $86,205 in 2024. This represented a huge increase – nearly $16,000 – from the prior year.
MHI is a key indicator of the economic progress of a community. It measures the “middle” via the median, not the average, since income distributions in this country are so skewed toward upper earners. It also uses households, often a family, as the unit of measure, allowing more than one income recipient to be included.
In 2024, the estimated U.S. MHI was $81,600. This marks the first time in decades, at least, that the county’s median household income exceeded the nation’s. The year-to-year gain here is statistically significant. However, the state’s MHI is still well above that of the county, with nearly $99,400 in 2024.
Overall average annual wage rose briskly in 2024.
State labor economists and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publish a series on average earnings, by month, quarter and year. It counts wages and salaries paid by employers in a county, metro area, or state whose employees are part of the Unemployment Insurance system. The level and percentage changes give a good idea on the health of economy, as rising wages usually reflect rising demand for labor, which in turn, reflects an increased demand for goods and services.
Wages paid also form the largest component of personal income, in most areas.
In 2024, Spokane County, these average (per worker) earnings hit an all-time high of $65,432. This represented an increase of 4.9% over the 2023 average. The increase bested the prior 10-year average in the county of 4.1%. Still, the county’s 2024 average lay far below WA average $94,918. The graph’s dotted lines show the inflation-adjusted annual average. Note that for both the county and the state, 2024 “take home” results in 2024 were still below the 2021 peak.
People Living at or under the Federal Poverty Level Continues to Decline.
While the median gives a good idea of the middle of the distribution of personal income, the federal poverty rate gives a good idea of the size of the population with money incomes far below the middle. In effect since the 1960s’ War on Poverty, the thresholds vary by family size and year-to-year increases in national price levels. They do not vary, however, by geography. Counted are not households or families, but individuals after the thresholds are applied to families of different sizes.
The American Community Survey estimated that in 2024, the number of county residents living at or below the federal poverty thresholds was nearly 57,500. This is the second-lowest estimate since the annual series started in 2005. The poverty rate in the county was the lowest on record, well below that of the U.S. But the state rate, as in all prior years, came in a bit lower than the county.
In EDUCATION:
The reasons for missing school are many, but the outcomes are usually the same. Without steady attendance, it is highly unlikely that students master the subject matter, leading to academic performance issues and even forfeiting graduating from high school.
This standard measure from the Washington Office of Public Instruction defines regular attendance as missing two or fewer days of school per month due to unexcused absences. It covers all public schools in the 13 districts in Spokane County.
In school year 2023-2024, the count of county public school students with regular attendance was about 57,000, implying a rate of 57%. This represented an improvement over the prior two years, but a significant decline from school year 2019-20 and the years leading up to it. The most recent rate tied the state rate, after lying above that rate for several years.
In ENVIRONMENT:
The number of weeks in moderate or severe drought in the county has recently grown.
Based on data compiled by the USDA, NOAA and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the past four years have shown a consistently high number of weeks in some level of drought. The four categories covered by this indicator run from moderate to exceptional.
The average of the past four years for Spokane County indicate 31 weeks out of 52 were in some form of drought. The average number of weeks for the 10 years prior to that: 11. In most of the past four years, the two largest categories characterizing drought here have been the two lowest, moderate and severe.
In HEALTH:
Opioid-related deaths in Spokane County soared in 2024.
Opioids covered by this measure include both prescription drugs and illegal street drugs, such as fentanyl and heroin. The counts come from death certificates and are certainly far fewer than the number of overdoses seen in the county’s emergency departments or by emergency medical response units.
For 2024, the number of deaths was 264. This is up from 189 in 2023 and a recent low of 30 in 2017. Unfortunately, the county rate of opioid-related deaths is now much higher than the state average: 48.6 per 100,000 residents here vs. 30.3 per 100,000 statewide. Among the five most populous counties in Washington, only Spokane registered an increase last year. For the first three quarters of this year, however, opioid-related deaths in the county have fallen.
Share of 8th & 10th graders reporting poor mental health continues to fall.
The Healthy Youth Survey, a voluntary assessment administered every other year in public schools, asks a variety of questions on physical and mental health. Students in at least two grade levels are asked to respond to the question: have you felt sad or hopeless every day for at least the past two weeks, resulting in an ability to conduct usual activities?
For 2023, the most recent year of the survey’s administration, 28% and 32% of 8th and 10th graders, respectively, answered yes. These shares are about the same as those observed statewide. They are, however, much lower than the county responses observed in 2018 and 2020. The shares of students answering yes have now returned to values seen 15 year ago.
In HOUSING:
Home ownership by People of Color hits new high in 2024 in the County.
For many different reasons, home ownership by People of Color (POC) has been lower than the ownership rates among non-Hispanic whites, here and elsewhere. This indicator tracks the rate for all POC, as well as those specifically for Blacks and Hispanic/Latinos.
The estimates by the American Community Survey for 2024 for Spokane County are: 51%, 36% and 53%, respectively. This puts the county on a par with the state for rates of all POC and for Hispanic/Latinos. The rate among Spokane County Blacks, however, is much lower than the state average.
Nonetheless, over the past 15 years, local rates for all three groups have risen substantially.
The number of homeless students by the McKenney-Vento Act criteria is accelerating.
While the estimated count of homeless, often unsheltered, adults continues to grab headlines, another dimension of housing instability stalks this community: K-12 students. These are public-school students who are deemed not to have a stable housing environment by their local schools. It captures those who move from one home to another during a school year; the number of unsheltered is a small fraction of the total.
Unfortunately, the count of homeless students by this definition has gone the wrong way since the onset of the pandemic. The most recently available count, taken in fall of last year, revealed about 3,400 public, K-12 students facing unstable housing challenges. This is nearly double the count seen in 2020, of 1,975.
After matching the state public school average for many years, the Spokane County rate is now higher, at about 44 per 1,000 students.
list updated 12.09.2025
The complete list of Spokane Trends can be found here.
About The Institute
The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis is a research institute for applied regional research that provides easily accessible community indicator data. The Institute publishes nine community trend sites for thirteen Washington counties, all of which cover a variety of factors like economic vitality, health, housing, and more. The Institute’s work is aimed to promote data-based decision making and provide readily available and extensive data for communities across Washington state.
