{"id":1881,"date":"2025-04-08T15:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T22:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/?page_id=1881"},"modified":"2025-04-08T15:45:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T22:45:10","slug":"nov24_blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/nov24_blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Spokane Trends Blog – November 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Welcome to Spokane County!<\/strong><\/h3>

Spokane County and environs form the 99th 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.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Recent Updates:<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In PEOPLE<\/strong>:<\/p>

Median Age of the Population<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The median is the number that divides a population into two equal halves. Median age is a very summary view of the overall age structure of a population. As the indicator reveals, median age in Spokane County has been slightly lower than the median for the U.S. and the state. Recently, however, the Spokane median age is statistically the same as the Washington median.\u00a0<\/p>

In the past decade, the County\u2019s median has climbed 1.5 years.\u00a0<\/p>

Total Foreign-Born Population and Foreign-Born as a Share of Total Population<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The foreign-born population is tantamount to the (legal) immigration population. This indicator considers two types of foreign-born:\u00a0 naturalized and non-naturalized. The Census estimates are expressed as levels and shares. It is obvious that the share of the foreign-born in Spokane County is far lower than the shares of the U.S. and Washington \u2013 about half their levels.\u00a0<\/p>

2023, however, shows a large jump in the estimated number and share of the foreign-born in the County who are now naturalized. The total is over 33,000.\u00a0<\/p>

Average Number of People per Household\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Households in Spokane County have, over the past 15 years, been smaller than those of the U.S. and Washington. This likely due to several factors, including a relatively large higher education student population living off-campus, a slightly larger older adult population than the benchmarks, and a propensity for families with children here to be slightly smaller.\u00a0<\/p>

In 2023, however, all three jurisdictions converged to about 2.5 people\/household. This is the same value here as a decade ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Single Parent Families with Children \u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Single parent families with children face unique challenges. This indicator breaks out of the head of the household by gender. Not surprisingly, single-parent families headed by females are the majority.\u00a0<\/p>

The pandemic brought a surge in single-parent families, but since 2021, the count and share have diminished.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

In ECONOMIC VITALITY<\/strong>:<\/p>

Total and Share of Older Adults (Ages 65 and Older) Living in Poverty<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Our country\u2019s safety net programs, most importantly social security and Medicare, are designed to keep older adults out of poverty. Yet, the trend here and in the U.S. overall, has been one of more older adults living below the poverty threshold. \u00a0<\/p>

In 2023, the estimate for this population at or below the federal poverty threshold was 10,500, or 11% of all older adults in the County. That\u2019s a much greater percentage than the state average although still below the U.S. rate.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In EDUCATION<\/strong>:<\/p>

Share of the Population Ages 25+ with a High School Diploma, GED or Less<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Census tracks educational attainment in six categories, two of which are represented in this indicator. They represent the two lowest levels achieved by adults. As the graphs make clear, there has been a slight decline in this population in Spokane County over the past decade. (Click off the legend to simplify the graph.) \u00a0<\/p>

As of 2023, the total estimate was 31%. This is considerably lower than the U.S. rate, but similar to the Washington rate. Note that the decline of this population has been more rapid in the U.S. than for Spokane.<\/p>

Share of the Population Ages 25+ with at Least Some College or an Associate\u2019s Degree<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

These two groups of the population occupy the intermediate level of post-secondary education achievement. Spokane County has traditionally shown strength at this level, which includes those students who spent some time at community colleges and technical schools but did not obtain a degree, as well as those who did.\u00a0<\/p>

In 2023, the total share of the Spokane County population in this education category was nearly 37%. While a larger share than the benchmarks, this estimate represents a decline from the 2019, the pre-pandemic peak of about 40%.\u00a0<\/p>

Share of the Population Ages 25+ With at Least a Bachelor\u2019s Degree<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

This category of the adult population includes those with a bachelor\u2019s degree, graduate degree, a professional degree or an MD\/DO certification. Spokane County has trailed the shares of its benchmarks and 2023 was no exception. The total estimated share of this population in the County was about 32%. That represents a gain of about 4 percentage points from a decade ago. However, the gap to the benchmarks has widened.<\/p>

In\u00a0HOUSING<\/strong>:<\/p>

Homeownership Rate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Homeownership in Spokane has been neither lower nor higher than in the U.S. and Washington. The current (2023) estimated rate is 64%. This is the same as the state rate and one percentage point lower than the U.S. rate.\u00a0<\/p>

Over the past decade, the local rate has climbed.\u00a0<\/p>

Overall Rental Vacancy Rate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

In 2023, Census estimates that the rental market eased considerably. The annual average vacancy rate for all apartment types was 6%. Two years prior, it reached a low of 1.8%. Then, vacancies were far fewer than in the U.S. and Washington. Now, all three jurisdictions are showing similar values, with the County the highest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The 2023 estimate harkens a return to the rates of10-15 years ago in the County.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

list updated 11.14.24<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The complete list of Spokane Trends can be found here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

New Intern Features<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"\"<\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Alanna Mesecher<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Hometown:<\/strong>\u00a0Valley, WA<\/p>

Major:<\/strong>\u00a0Accounting<\/p>

Expected Graduation Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Spring 2025<\/p>

Post-graduation plans:<\/strong>\u00a0Start looking for a career with a CPA firm, or a non-profit organization.<\/p>

After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:<\/strong>
I enjoy collecting data and learning new information. Collecting and providing data that helps community leaders make important decisions is very rewarding, and I\u2019m thankful to be a part of it.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"Image\"<\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Jimena Ramos<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Hometown:<\/strong>\u00a0Royal City, Washington<\/p>

Major:<\/strong>\u00a0Data Analytics<\/p>

Expected Graduation Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Spring 2025<\/p>

Post-graduation plans:<\/strong>\u00a0Find a job in Spokane or Tri-Cities.<\/p>

After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:<\/strong>
My favorite thing is the opportunity to see the impact of our work and how it influences strategic decisions. It\u2019s been interesting diving deep into data analysis and learning new skills. I\u2019ve enjoyed collaborating with Dr. Jones, Dr. Cullen, and the other interns as they\u2019re a great team!<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

About The Institute<\/strong><\/h2>

The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis<\/a> 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\u2019s work is aimed to promote data-based decision making and provide readily available and extensive data for communities across Washington state.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Spokane County!Spokane County and environs form the 99th largest MSA by population, but combines the best of both a large and small city environment. A large, rushing river… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1882,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881\/revisions\/1882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}