The Walla Walla Trends project seeks to improve local, public decision making by providing relevant data in an easily navigable website. The data provided on this website is offered as neutral information.
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In PEOPLE:
Total Population & Annual Growth Rate
2024 estimates (for April 1) were released a couple months ago by the Washington State. They show the Walla Walla County’s total population at 63,375, or a gain of 275. Note that this indicator now separates the Washington State Penitentiary from the non-institutionalized population. The growth rate of the County’s population, net of the Penitentiary, between 2024 and 2023 was about 0.2%, about a fifth of the Washington state rate.
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Share of Population by Age Groups
The age distribution in Walla Walla County has shifted a bit over the past five years. Compared to Washington state, there are relatively fewer youth (0-17) but relatively more young adults (18-34) here. The share of prime working age adults (35-64) is now larger than the state share. Notably, the share of older adults (65+) is now considerably smaller than in 2019, about equal to the state share.
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Net migration continues to be the only source of growth in Walla Walla County. Between 2024 and 2023, Washington state demographers estimate that the county gain about 375 residents due to move from another county. That number is greater than the population gain. Consequently, the “natural increase,” the other source of population growth, was negative. In other words, deaths in the county exceeded births (again).
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In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Net Jobs Created & Annual Growth Rate
A key goal of economic development organizations and public policy more broadly is to assist in job creation. This measure looks at a net number, incorporating job losses and job gains across Walla Walla firms that report to the Unemployment Insurance fund. Between 2023 and 2022, the county gain about 280 jobs, net. This was much less than the gains of the prior two pairs of years. Since the pandemic outbreak in 2020, employers in the county have added slightly over 1,600 jobs.
Total Number of Arts-Related Businesses and Rate per 1,000 Businesses
These businesses help foster Walla Walla’s creative class and likely cater to both local and tourists. In 2023, 17 county businesses fit this description. They include the following types: bookstores, art dealers, performing arts companies, promoters, museums and artists registered as businesses.
As a rate among all businesses, Walla Walla now sports a higher concentration of these businesses.
Total Accommodation Retail Sales and Annual Growth Rate
There is no easy way to measure direct tourism expenditures in a local economy. (The U.S. Department of Commerce does this at a national level.) Tourists spend money in a variety of industries: restaurants, bars, coffee shops, wineries, retail trade (shops), ground transportation, and importantly, accommodations. Sales of this last industry are perhaps the best single guide to the direction of tourism year-to-year, since not too many locals spend nights at local hotels and inns.
While 2023 accommodation sales didn’t match the peak set in 2022, they were, at nearly $35 million, the second-highest year on record. In general, the County’s accommodations establishments have shifted sales strongly upward from the years immediately preceding the pandemic.
In EDUCATION:
For several years, Washington state has required all public-school districts to administer an assessment in the fall of their kindergartners. Schools assess whether these students meet state standards (WaKIDS) in six domains: cognitive, emotional, language, reading, physical and social. Ideally, a student will be “ready” in all six areas.
For the past three years, the average of county school districts has yielded about 45% of its students “ready” in all six domains. This is a few percentage points lower than the Washington state average, which is slightly above 50%.
For several years, the Smarter Balanced Assessment has defined the end-of-year tests taken by public school students. This indicator tracks the share of public-school students who “meet standard” (levels 3 & 4) on the English Language Arts examination. Two grades – 4th and 10th – are followed.
Generally, the county average shares have been lower than the Washington average shares. 10th graders score higher than 4th graders. However, compared to the pre-pandemic years, the shares among Walla Walla school districts have slipped by several percentage points.
In ENVIRONMENT:
Overall Water Quality Index - Walla Walla River & Snake River
The Washington state Department of Ecology has developed a measure to track overall water quality in the surface waters of the state. It takes account of many factors, including temperature, turbidity, phosphorous, fecal coliform bacteria, heavy metals, and dissolved oxygen. The result is an index, with the optimal value = 100. This indicator tracks the two major rivers of Walla Walla County: the Snake (at its mouth) and the Walla Walla (Touchet).
As is easily observed, the index for the Snake River has remained in the high 80 range over the past 25 years. As a smaller river, the Walla Walla has shown much more variability, with a record high reading in 2020, followed the next year with a very low reading (in the impaired range).
In HEALTH:
How many years a newborn is expected to live under current mortality rates is one the signature measure of public health. It summarizes all the factors that go into public health – such as its socio-economic determinants, access to care and quality of care.
Until the pandemic, Walla Walla was outpacing the expected life in the U.S. and largely equal to expected life in Washington State. The last three available years – 2020-2022, tell a different story, however. As of 2022, Walla Walla County’s life expectancy had dropped nearly four years to 77.4. This put it equal to the U.S. and considerably below the expectancy of the state.
list updated 8.20.2024
The complete list of Walla Walla Trends can be found here.
New Intern Features
Drew Dillon
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Major: Economics and Business System Analytics
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
Post-graduation plans: Find a good job in a new city
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far: The actual work for sure. What I do for The Insitute does not feel like work most of the time. I enjoy solving the puzzles that come with data analysis and there are lots of puzzles to be solved here. I also really enjoy the people I work with. Dr. Cullen and Dr. Jones are amazing, as well as my fellow interns. We make a great team.
Kellan Burns
Hometown: Spokane, Washington
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
Post-graduation plans: Start a career as a software developer
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far: My favorite thing so far is seeing the real-life meaning of our work. The data we collect often tells a different story from what people expect, and I think it makes people look at the world a bit differently. I've already learned lots here, and I'm excited for this year with Dr. Jones, Dr. Cullen, and the other interns at The Institute.