Did you know there are over 150 different community indicators on Grant County Trends - each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?
This issue of the Grant County Trends Blog lists the most recently updated indicators on the Grant County Trends website.
This page will be updated and email alerts sent on a quarterly basis. Don't miss an update - subscribe today!
Recent Updates
In PEOPLE:
Total Population & Annual Growth Rate
Grant County gained 2,000 residents between April 1 of this year and April 1, 2023. That translates into a year-over-year rate of 1.9%, highest among all counties in the state except student-dominated Kittitas County. Over the past decade, Grant County has gained more than 10,000 new residents, from both a “natural increase” but more importantly, from in-migration.
In AGRICULTURE:
Total Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold & Average Sales per Farm
Every five years, the USDA conducts the Census of Agriculture. The most recent covered 2022 and its results were released in late 2023. The total value of production at the “farmgate” in Grant County was $2.6 billion. That amount placed it 10th in the country, a spot the County has occupied before. On a per farm basis, the value sold amounted to $2.1 million, by far the highest in the state.
Total Net Farm Income and Net Income per Farm
This measure also comes courtesy of the USDA Census of Agriculture. It is the equivalent of gross profit for firms. In the 2022, total net farm income in Grant County was $381 million. On a per farm basis, net income in that year amounted to $308,000, also far above the Washington average.
Total Farms and Farms per 1,000 Residents
As the both the value of products sold and net income have climbed in Grant County, it is hardly surprising that the number of farms has diminished. In 2022, the USDA estimated 1,238 farms in the county. That represents a steep decline from the Census of 2007 when the number stood at about 1,860.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
This measure offers insight into the most important element of household or family income – earnings from work. The indicator covers all those workers at firms with Grant County locations. Excluded are sole proprietors, including gig workers, and those working remotely for companies outside the county. In 2023, the average reached $60,000 for the first time, placing Grant County 3rd among all Eastern Washington counties.
In ECONOMIC VITALITY CONT.:
Total Annual Taxable Retail Sales & Annual Growth Rate
Taxable retail sales reflect the strength of a local economy, although they don’t capture many activities. The measure is also important to local governments, as the sales tax usually forms their largest source of revenue. Grant County in 2023 experienced a huge increase, moving from $3.1 billion to over $3.8 billion. The sectors contributing the most to the increase were, in order: wholesale trade, construction and retail trade.
Taxable Retail Trade Sales Per Capita in the Retail Trade Sector
Local business leaders prefer to see retail sales stay local. Retail sales per capita gives an idea of the strength of local retailers, although online purchasing has weakened the relationship over time. (For several years, online retail sales have been taxable, with the largest portion of the tax flowing to local jurisdictions.) This measure shows a strong rise in retail trade sales per capita in Grant County in 2023. Among eastern Washington counties, Grant now places 2nd, with the Tri Cities in the top spot.
Quarterly Residential Building Permits & Number per 1,000 Residents
Residential building permits offer a window into future home-building activity. Construction is usually one of the most important sectors in a local economy. In the first quarter of this year, permits in Grant County exceeded the number of the same quarter last year but were substantially less than the level in the same quarter of pandemic year 2022. The current level is still considerably above that of the years immediately preceding the pandemic.
In HEALTH:
Total Deaths from Cancer by Leading Types & Share of Deaths Caused by Cancer
Until the pandemic, cancer deaths in Grant County generally amounted to 20-25% of all deaths. In 2022, they dropped to 10% of all deaths, due the impact of covid-19. The distribution of cancer deaths, by type, has shifted a bit, however. Breast and lung cancer have been less evident over the past three years compared to the three immediate pre-pandemic years. On the other hand, pancreatic cancer deaths have doubled.
In PUBLIC SAFETY:
Percent of Youth Carrying a Weapon to School in the Past 30 Days
Washington queries public school students every other year about a variety of health behaviors and conditions. This indicator summarizes the responses for 8th, 10th and 12th graders in Grant County and compares those responses to the state average. In 2023, the shares of all three grades who (self-) reported that they carried a weapon to school were in the low single-digits. These shares were about half of the rates reported in 2018. The pandemic ushered in many challenges to public education; this measure, however, points in a different direction.
list updated 07.22.24
The new Whitman County Trends website has just launched, with nearly 90 indicators to track areas such as education, housing, public health and safety, and economic vitality. The website, like its counterpart here and for other Washington counties, has been designed to present data readily accessible to people in local communities. Trends sites are used by schools, businesses, non-profit...
Graduating Interns
In this issue, we say goodbye to four graduating interns. They have accomplished so much over the past year at the institute. Left to right, they are: Laura Velasquez-Neal (mechanical engineering), Jessica Phan (Visual Communications Design), Angelica Cortes (Data Analytics) and Miranda Carmona (Economics). Angelica and Miranda have each received the Frances B. Huston medal, awarded to 20 graduating seniors for excellence in academics. All four will do well wherever they go.