Did you know there are nearly 130 different community indicators on Walla Walla Trends - each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?
This issue of the Walla Walla Trends blog lists the most recently updated indicators on the Walla Walla Trends website.
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Recent Updates
In ECONOMIC ACTIVITY:
1.2.9 Regional Price Parity (RPP)
The RPP provides a means of comparing living costs in a regional economy to another, at one point in time. It is not a consumer price index that allows for comparisons over time with a metro area. The latest results (2021) for the Walla Walla metro area show a value of 99.2. This implies that Walla Walla’s costs are just about equal to the average of all metro areas in the U.S. They are slightly lower than those of the Tri Cities & Wenatchee.
1.2.10 Total Very Small Businesses (0-9 Employees) and as a Share of All Businesses
Very small businesses usually predominate the count of businesses in regional economies. Walla Walla is no different. There were over 1,800 very small businesses in 2021 in the County, a decline from the peak in 2014 of nearly 2,100. The share of these businesses of the total is slightly higher here than in Washington state.
1.2.11 Gross Domestic Product by 5 Largest Sectors in the Walla Walla MSA
Gross domestic product by MSA offers insights into the size of the local (metro) economy. GDP by the five leading sectors gives a sense of the structure of the economy. For the most recently available year, 2021, they are (ranked): real estate, government (federal, state and local), healthcare & social assistance, manufacturing and agriculture. Of the five largest sectors, real estate grew the most since 2005 while agriculture grew the least.
In PUBLIC SAFETY:
6.1.2 Violent Crimes: Total & Rate per 1,000 Residents
Violent crimes are anathema to any community. Fortunately, Walla Walla County has experienced rates below both the U.S. and Washington averages since the turn of the century. For the most recent year, the rate was 2.4 per 1,000 residents. The most common charge: aggravated assault.
In EDUCATION:
2.2.4 Extended (5 year) High School Graduation Rate
A measurement that allows a student five years to receive a high school diploma yields slightly higher rates than the on-time (4-year) graduation rate. The County’s school districts have traditionally out-performed the Washington average. For the 5-year cohort of 2022, however, that was not the case. The County average of 84% was a couple percentage points behind the state average.
In HEALTH:
4.1.13 Share of Residents with a Physical or Mental Disability
Disabilities can occur due to difficulties with vision, hearing, cognition, walking, self-care, among others. They mount as we age. Census estimated that over 9,200 residents of the metro area faced one or more disability in 2021. The ensuing rate, at nearly 16%, is higher than both the U.S. and Washington averages.
In HOUSING:
5.1.1 Median Home Resale Price
The median resale price offers the value “in the middle” of the prices of all recently sold homes in the County. The most recent quarterly report, Q1 of this year, put the value at slightly over $406,000. This is a decline from the peak reached in the second quarter of last year, at $448,000. Median resale prices have now declined for three straight quarters.
list updated 06.16.2023
The complete list of Walla Walla Trends can be found here.
Blog Feature: Residents with a Physical or Mental Disability
Employing More Workers with Disabilities Could Help Tight Labor Markets
As low unemployment and tight labor markets continue to provide challenges for local economies, the search for more workers is ongoing. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one possible source to consider is the local disabled population. Increased use of service animals along with improvements in parking and ramps have helped to make workplaces and businesses in general more accessible. Additionally, with improved tele-commuting technologies brought about due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it might be possible to employ workers with disabilities to a greater extent than ever before.
It is important for communities to have a sense of the share of the population living with disabilities and the types of disabilities, not only for planning and provision of services, but also for employment purposes. Walla Walla Trends (WWT) 4.1.13 Residents with a Physical or Mental Disability: Total & Share of Population measures the number and share of residents in Walla Walla and Columbia Counties (the Walla Walla metro area) who have a disability.
Over the past decade, the local share of people with a physical or mental disability has increased by nearly three percentage points to 15.6%, above the state average of 12.7% for Washington. Keep in mind that while over 2,000 more people were disabled in 2021 as in 2012, some of this increase could be current residents who became disabled and some could be new residents who moved into the community.
One plausible explanation for the rising share of people living with disabilities is the overall graying of the community and the accompanying disabilities associated with aging. According to WWT 0.1.3 Share of Population by Age Groups, the 65+ age group currently accounts for one in five residents in the Walla Walla metro area, up from only one in seven just over a decade ago. While about 15% of the typical working age population (ages 18 to 64) in Walla Walla has a disability, one in four adults between 55 and 74 have a disability and over half of all adults over 75 have a disability.
In considering the employability of persons with disabilities, it is important to understand the variety of disabilities. Source data from the US Census American Community Survey (ACS Table S1810) tracks several types of disabilities: hearing, vision, cognition, ambulation, self-care and independent living.
Disabilities that can be more readily accommodated for regular employment include hearing, vision and mobility. Hearing difficulties increase with age affecting one in five adults aged 65 and above. Only 3% of the working age adults in Walla Walla are affected by hearing difficulties. While vision can often be corrected, nearly 3% of local residents still experience vision difficulties. The percentage increases to nearly 8% for the 65+ age group. One in twenty working age adults in Walla Walla have ambulatory difficulties.
On the other hand, some disabilities vary in severity and may prohibit an adult from participating in the labor force. Cognitive difficulties affect 6% of the working age population and over twice that share (13%) with the 75+ age group.. The Census also records data on self-care difficulties -- only 1.5% of the working age population but up to 15% of the 75+ age group. Finally, over 3% of the working age residents (and 17% of adults 65+) have difficulties that preclude them from living independently.
While it is vital for a compassionate community to support their neighbors facing disabilities, it can also be important for the local economy as an additional source of labor. In the Walla Walla metro area, just over 62% of the noninstitutionalized adult population participates in the civilian labor force. And with a current local unemployment rate of 4.6%, improving the employment opportunities for some disabilities could help take some pressure off labor markets and rising wage costs.