Clicking on a legend item will show/hide corresponding data series.
0.3.1 Average Number of People per Household
Why is this important?
The size of a household is given by the number of people who occupy the same housing unit (house, apartment, condominium, etc.). A household can include a single family, members of an extended family, a person living alone, or unrelated people living together. Consequently, the size of a household captures a dwelling density by single unit of dwelling. It is important to keep in mind that the average household size is different from the average family size, another commonly reported indicator.
A higher average household size may indicate larger nuclear family sizes or may point to extended families living under one roof. Lower numbers may indicate a population with many people living alone. The values of this indicator may be useful to people and agencies in Walla Walla County such as public housing authorities, residential real estate developers, and public-school planners.
This indicator measures the average number of people per household in Walla Walla & Columbia Counties combined. Washington State and the U.S. are offered as benchmarks. Additional information, including historical data previous to Walla Walla becoming a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2013, can be found in the “Download Data” section.
The Census offers 1-year estimates for areas with populations of 65,000 or more people; five-year estimates are available for all areas. One-year estimates use 12 months of collected data, while 5-year estimates use a 60-month rolling average. Due to the different methodologies used, it is important to use the same type of estimate when making a comparison.
Where are we?
During 2023, the estimated average number of people per household in:
- Walla Walla & Columbia Counties combined was 2.36, increasing from 2.47 in 2013 (not statistically significant)
- Washington State was 2.47, decreasing from 2.58 in 2013 (statistically significant)
- The U.S. was 2.49, decreasing from 2.65 in 2013 (statistically significant)
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey (ACS) - Explore Census Data
Notes:
1) This information comes from a survey, so the data presented are estimates. All significant tests are done at the 90% confidence interval. The margin of errors is provided in the “Download Data” section.
2) Not all indicators can be tested for statistical significance. For example, some indicators use portions of data from multiple ACS sources, and the test is cannot be running. If available, the results of the test are offered. When no test results are offered, the statistical significance test was not able to be conducted.
3) Learn more about the ACS:
4) According to the US Census Bureau, the pandemic made the collection of accurate one-year estimates for the American Community Survey (ACS) impossible in 2020.
