{"id":1986,"date":"2026-07-27T11:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/?page_id=1986"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:31:50","slug":"jul2026_blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/jul2026_blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Spokane Trends Blog – July 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to Spokane County!<\/strong><\/h3>

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.<\/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

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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
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In\u00a0PEOPLE<\/strong>:

\"\"<\/p>

The share of the county population not speaking English at home has gained a bit but remains low.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The number of residents who don\u2019t speak English at home gives insights into the size of the immigrant community. Since the estimate may include American-born family members, it is a larger number than a sister measure, the foreign born<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

For 2024, Census estimated the share of the County population who do not speak English at home at 9%, a slight increase over the prior years. The gaps to similar measures for the state and the U.S. remain large, however. \u00a0They are more than double, at 22% and 23%, respectively. There has been little upward movement in the local share over the past decade.\u00a0<\/p>

Despite the many efforts to welcome immigrants to the county, Spokane is hardly a hotspot for this vital part of the contemporary American experience.\u00a0<\/p>

In\u00a0CULTURE & RECREATION<\/strong>:\u00a0

\"\"<\/p>

The price parity index indicates the Spokane metro area is no bargain.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

This measure from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis compares the cost of living of one metro area in the U.S. to the national average. This not the Consumer Price Index, with \u201cstandalone\u201d values; rather, it\u2019s a ratio. 100 then indicates that a metro area is right at the average; less than 100 signifies lower costs than average.\u00a0<\/p>

For the most recent year, 2024, the Spokane MSA (metropolitan statistical area) displayed a very average overall cost of living, at 100.3. The Spokane MSA consists of Spokane and Stevens Counties. The reading equaled the index value for the Tri Cities but was slightly higher than in the Boise MSA (98.4). Note the elevated reading for the Seattle metro area.\u00a0<\/p>

A decade ago, the Spokane metro area could claim to be less expensive than the national average, with an index value of 96.\u00a0<\/p>

In ECONOMIC VITALITY<\/strong>:

\"\"<\/p>

Spokane County quarterly taxable retail sales gain in the final quarter of 2025; growth, however, was unevenly distributed.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Levels of taxable retail sales give us a good sense of the strength of the consumer economy. And in the state of Washington,\u00a0add to that\u00a0the robustness of the construction industry, as all activities in this industry face the\u00a0tax. In addition, retail\u00a0sale\u00a0tax flows are an important leg in the revenue streams to local and state governments.\u00a0<\/p>

The Washington Department of Revenue\u00a0(DOR)\u00a0publishes\u00a0the taxable\u00a0retail sales annually, and quarterly,\u00a0with about a\u00a0five-month\u00a0delay. This indicator tracks the higher\u00a0frequency\u00a0view.\u00a0In\u00a0data\u00a0just\u00a0released by the DOR,\u00a0county\u00a0retail taxable sales\u00a0of the fourth quarter of last year\u00a0rose to\u00a0$4.1 billion. This\u00a0represented\u00a0the highest quarter ever and a 3% increase from Q4 of 2024.\u00a0The rate, however, was less than half of the percentage increase statewide (7.4%).\u00a0<\/p>

Between the county\u2019s two largest cities, the city of Spokane Valley \u201coutperformed\u201d the city of Spokane\u00a0by a wide margin: 7.8% to 1.4%.

\"\"<\/p>

Median household income by People of Color in the County has grown faster than non-Hispanic Whites.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Median household income\u00a0(MHI)\u00a0may well be the single most important measure of economic progress.\u00a0It\u00a0represents\u00a0a better \u201cmiddle value\u201d of the income distribution and\u00a0uses a unit, the household\u00a0(most often family), that\u00a0represents\u00a0how\u00a0most\u00a0Americans work and live. This indicator tracks\u00a0MHI for six groups of People of Color\u00a0as well as for White-Non-Hispanics in the County.\u00a0Due to\u00a0the\u00a0generally small\u00a0size of the samples, Census, provider of this measure,\u00a0rolls up 5 years\u00a0of data\u00a0to arrive at reasonable estimates.\u00a0<\/p>

For the 2020-2024 period, MHI for American Indian\/Alaskan Natives was $67,400;\u00a0for Asian Americans,\u00a0$81,500;\u00a0for Blacks,\u00a0$54,600;\u00a0for Hispanics,\u00a0$77,200;\u00a0for Native Hawaiian\/Pacific Islanders,\u00a0$64,600;\u00a0for\u00a0Two or\u00a0More\u00a0Races, $73,800;\u00a0and for Whites-non-Hispanic,\u00a0$80,300.\u00a0<\/p>

Of these groups,\u00a0incomes of\u00a0American Indians\/Alaskan Natives\u00a0grew the fastest over the decade 2015-2024, followed by\u00a0Hispanics.\u00a0The MHI of all County racial and ethnic groups lies below their U.S. counterparts, although for\u00a0American Indians and Hispanics, not by much.\u00a0<\/p>

To simplify the graph, click on the item(s) in the legend you would like to hide<\/em>.

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County poverty rates by race & ethnicity have recently declined but largely remain above those of the U.S.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The official poverty rate, set by Census, gives an idea of the size of the U.S. resident population\u00a0occupying the bulk of the lowest quintile of\u00a0the distribution of personal\u00a0income. Dating to the 1960s War on Poverty, the rate is based on thresholds that vary by family size and\u00a0adjust upward every year to match the growth of the Consumer Price Index.\u00a0<\/p>

This measure\u00a0establishes\u00a0the rate for\u00a0six groups composing the population of People of Color in the County, plus for non-Hispanic Whites.\u00a0As with the measure on Median Household Income, the data are presented in 5-year rolling averages.\u00a0<\/p>

For the most recent period, 2020-2024, the Census estimated the following rates:\u00a0\u00a014.9% for Blacks, 20.7% for Native American\/Alaskan Natives, 16.5% for Asians,\u00a027.9% for Native Hawaiian\/Pacific Islanders, 16% for Two or More Races,\u00a016.8% for Hispanics, and 10.4% for non-Hispanic Whites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Except for\u00a0Spokane County Asian Americans, all groups showed some improvement in their poverty rates\u00a0from\u00a02019.\u00a0Except for Blacks and Whites, poverty rates here\u00a0are above the rates of their national counterparts.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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In EDUCATION<\/strong>:

\"\"<\/p>

Spokane County schools continue to outperform the state for on-time high school graduation rates.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The graduation rate is a key part of a school district\u2019s report card. From a community perspective, the overall graduation rate signals to outsiders and residents alike the ability of public schools to discharge their mandates well. And on an individual level, graduating from high school is a key milestone in a person\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>

The measure is cohort based, starting with the size of the 9th grade class in each district, allowing for student transfers, and is calculated as the share of those graduating of the 9th grade class size.\u00a0<\/p>

For the most current year, 2024-2025, the overall rate in Spokane County public schools was 86%. This is in line with recent years dating to school year 2021-2022, when the rate peaked at 90%. Slow but sure progress characterizes the past decade here, as the rate was 82% in 2015-2016. For all years shown in the indicator, county public schools have outperformed the state average.\u00a0

\"\"<\/p>

The share of the adult population whose highest educational attainment is a high school diploma or less continues to decline in the county.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Considering\u00a0the strong emphasis throughout the country in at least completing high school, this measure from Census gives insights into the trajectory of two groups with the lowest levels of formal education: those\u00a0without a high school degree and those whose highest\u00a0level of formal education is a high school diploma.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Ideally, one would like to see the former group\u2019s share\u00a0move toward zero.\u00a0In the past, one applauded the\u00a0decline\u00a0the share whose highest achievement was a high school degree. Now as the\u00a0workforce needs of the trades become more\u00a0apparent, the interpretation of\u00a0trend\u00a0is less clear.\u00a0<\/p>

In 2024, the share of the\u00a0county\u00a0adult population (25+\u00a0years) without\u00a0a high school degree was\u00a05%. A decade ago, it was 7%. And its current value lies well below the shares for the U.S. and the state.\u00a0<\/p>

In the same year, the share of the\u00a0county\u00a0adult population whose highest degree achievement is a high school diploma was\u00a023%. A decade ago, it was 26%. And the local share is a bit lower than the Washington average and\u00a0considerably below\u00a0the U.S. average.\u00a0

To simplify the graph, click on the item(s) in the legend you would like to hide<\/em>.

\"\"<\/p>

The share of the adult population in the county whose highest educational attainment reached is an associate\u2019s degree or some college reveals mixed trends.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The\u00a0educational profile of these groups is broad. The measure\u2019s smaller\u00a0portion, those with an associates\u00a0or vocational degree,\u00a0largely reflects\u00a0the workforce needs of an area\u00a0for those occupations not requiring a bachelor\u2019s degree but\u00a0some formal post-secondary training.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The\u00a0measure\u2019s\u00a0larger\u00a0portion, \u201csome college but no degree\u201d\u00a0encompasses those who took targeted classes resulting in, say, a certificate; it also picks up those who started at either or 2- or 4-year institution, but did not finish.\u00a0<\/p>

The Census estimate for the\u00a0county share of the\u00a0former group in 2024 was\u00a0nearly 13%; for the\u00a0latter\u00a0group\u00a024%.\u00a0Over the past decade, the share of county adults with an\u00a0associate\u2019s\u00a0degree has grown\u00a0slightly. The share of the \u201csome college, no degree\u201d group has\u00a0diminished a bit. For both groups,\u00a0Spokane County shows a higher concentration than either in the state or the nation.\u00a0

To simplify the graph, click on the item(s) in the legend you would like to hide<\/em>.<\/p>

In\u00a0HOUSING<\/strong>:

\"\"<\/p>

The annual average level of the Spokane-Rathdrum aquifer, as measured in Spokane, has declined.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

The disappearance of flow in the Spokane River last August served as a wake-up call for this hugely important resource in our county. And it is well-known that there is a bi-directional flow between the river and the Spokane-Rathdrum aquifer. The aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in the Spokane area.\u00a0<\/p>

This annual measure is a daily average of water height taken at a well at the intersection of Denver and Marietta streets in Spokane. \u00a0<\/p>

In 2024, the year with the latest published data, average height was 80.4 feet. This was considerably lower than in 2021, when the average was 83.7 feet. A decade ago, average water height was 83.9 feet.\u00a0

\"\"<\/p>

Shares of electricity by type.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

In most Washington state counties,\u00a0electricity consumed arrives from a variety of sources.\u00a0Despite what might be\u00a0the conventional wisdom about Spokane\u00a0County\u2019s sourcing of electrons, the same applies here, and not necessarily all from hydro.\u00a0<\/p>

In 2023, the most recent year that the Washington\u00a0state\u00a0Department of Commerce\u00a0has calculated\u00a0the \u201cfuel mix,\u201d\u00a0the primary source was\u00a0indeed\u00a0hydropower, at 42%\u00a0of the total.\u00a0But this share was lower than a decade\u00a0prior, when\u00a0it stood at 48%.\u00a0Natural gas claimed the second-largest share in the county, at 33%.\u00a0This is\u00a0considerably higher\u00a0share than a decade\u00a0ago, when\u00a0it stood at 25%.\u00a0\u00a0

Coal-generated electricity is still not trivial, at 11% in 2023\u00a0in the county. But is it lower than a decade\u00a0ago, when\u00a0it stood at 18%.\u00a0The largest change in the county\u2019s electricity fuel mix has been\u00a0renewables.\u00a0In 2023, their share stood at 12%; a decade prior, at\u00a06%.\u00a0Except for\u00a0the size of the renewables share here, the county mix is considerably different than the state-wide average.\u00a0

To simplify the graph, click on the item(s) in the legend you would like to hide<\/em>.<\/p>

list updated 7.21.2026<\/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

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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

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0New 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
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\"Image\"<\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Janay Bowen\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Hometown:\u00a0<\/strong>San Jose, CA

Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Professional Accounting

Expected Graduation Date:\u00a0<\/strong>Spring 2027

Post-graduations plans:\u00a0<\/strong>Work at a local accounting firm to become a CPA!

After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:\u00a0<\/strong>My favorite thing so far working on Trends projects is when I get into the flow state of work and I am understanding and creating spreadsheets that I know help the counties we work for.<\/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

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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

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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… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"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\/1986"}],"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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1987,"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1986\/revisions\/1987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spokanetrends.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}