In this blog, we showcase a few of the indicators that have been recently updated.
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Trends Update List
in PEOPLE:
Share of registered voters voting in November elections
This indicator tracks voter turnout for three different types of elections that take place in November: presidential, midterm, and off-year. Of particular interest is the election of last November.
While a presidential election brings more voters out than the other type of November elections, the turn-out in November 2024 in the two counties was the lowest since 1996. About 73% of registered voters voted. Contrast that result to 2008, when turn-out here hit 85%. Turn-out in Franklin County was much lower than in Benton County in 2024.
To see only the presidential vote years, click off the other November election types in the legend.
in AGRICULTURE:
The greater Tri Cities yields a cornucopia of agricultural products, thanks to fertile soils, ample water, and technical skills. Most recently (2023), agricultural production amounted to $885 million of metro area Gross Domestic Product. It’s big business here.
Not surprisingly, then, the average size farm is larger here than elsewhere in most of the state. The USDA tracks this every 5 years through its Census of Agriculture. In the most current (2022) census, the average size in the two counties was 574 acres. This is largely unchanged over the past 20 years. Farms in Franklin County are considerably larger than those of Benton, likely reflecting crop mix differences.
in CULTURE, RECREATION & TOURISM:
Via efforts by Visit Tri Cities, sporting events and by the robust growth of the local economy, the number of visitors to the two counties has climbed over the past decade. Since there are almost no means of distinguishing visitor spending from that of locals, it is difficult to know the economic footprint of visitors. A partial look is to track the total annual receipts from the accommodations industry, as few residents spend the night a local hotels. This gives a sense of the growth of overall visitor spending, at least for those visitors who spend a night here.
Sales by the industry in 2023 hit nearly $113 million, a record. It represented a 10% increase over the prior year. As is clear from the graph, the pandemic delivered a blow especially in 2020 and 2021. The rate of year-over-year growth in the local industry has largely tracked that of the state industry for many years. (2022 was an exception.) Data from 2024 will be released later this summer.
The greater Tri Cities is a magnet for science. But not so much for art, at least for those arts activities that are incorporated as businesses. Arts-related businesses include art galleries, camera & photographic supply stores; bookstores; performing arts companies; performing arts promoters; independent artists; writers and performers; musical instrument stores; record stores; and museums.
In 2023, a total of 34 such businesses were noted by the state of Washington, tying 2020 for the highest number on record. As a share of all businesses, however, the value for the two counties, 4.4 per 1,000, was considerably below the shares for the state and the U.S.
in ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Quarterly taxable retail sales
Taxable retail sales give an idea of the extent of spending in local economy in this state. Most consumer goods purchased face this tax. An increasing number of services do. So do the construction industry’s activities. Noticeably absent from this tax, however, are most grocery purchases, medical treatment, and prescription drugs.
A quarterly view of sales gives a higher frequency look at the local economy than an annual total, valuable for planning by both the private and public sectors.
As of Q3 of last year, taxable retail sales in the two counties amounted to $2.29 billion. This represented a nearly 5% increase over the same quarter in 2023, easily besting the (negative) state growth rate. For the past five quarters, taxable retail sales in the two counties have exceeded the growth rate of the state.
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In ECONOMIC VITALITY cont.:
There is no Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculated for the Tri Cities metro area, or for that matter, anywhere in the state outside of the Seattle metro area. The U.S. Department of Commerce, however, has issued a relative measure of estimated costs of living for all metro areas in the U.S., including the two counties. The annual Regional Price Parity (RPP) Index draws prices from two sources: local housing (from the American Community Survey), and the prices of the closest available metro area with its own CPI, (in this case, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro), for all other goods and services.
The results are tabulated for each metro area, then expressed as a ratio of the average of all metro areas. Values less than 100 indicate a metro area is less expensive than the national average; values greater than 100, more expensive.
For 2023, the index value for the two counties was 99.0 That is the lowest reading since 2016. For a few years, the RPP for the greater Tri Cities has shown values slightly above 100. Except for 2023, the local index has been slightly higher than that of the Spokane metro and much higher than that of the Boise metro area.
in EDUCATION:
Extended graduation rate of public-school students
Graduating from high school marks an important milestone in a student’s life. The rate at which students graduate is also a key indicator of the school district’s efforts. This indicator tracks the success of a cohort in receiving a diploma after 4 or 5 years of high school. The latter rate is usually slightly higher than the “on-time,” or four-year rate.
For the most recent cohort, who were 9th graders in the fall of 2019 and graduated either in 2023 or 2024, the extended graduation rate for all public districts in the two counties was nearly 85%. This share is in line with the experience over the past years. For cohorts graduating prior to 2020, the share was two-three percentage points lower. For the past five years, the local share has been either equal to or higher than the Washington average.
Share of residents enrolled in higher education
Higher education matters, whether taken up immediately after high school or via a return to school later. For the individual, the “wage premium” of an associate or bachelor’s degree over a high school diploma remains strong. It also matters for the local economy, as a well-trained and educated workforce is an essential element of growth, by both existing and recruited firms.
This measure tracks the estimated share of the population that is currently enrolled in some post-secondary education. It will obviously be high for towns like Ellensburg and Pullman. But for larger metro areas, especially those with a high population of youth and/or elderly, the share will be lower.
For 2023, the American Community Survey estimated that 5.6% of the population of the greater Tri Cities was enrolled in a post-secondary institution. This represents the lowest local share on record. For all years, the share of adults (18+) enrolled in higher ed has been lower than national and state averages.
in ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY:
At least since the Clean Air Act appeared in1960s, residents have wanted to know how their air is “doing.” The Environmental Protection Agency has been tracking a variety of measures of air quality in hundreds of locations in the U.S. for many years. This indicator tracks four levels of daily air quality: unhealthy, unhealthy for certain groups, moderate and good. Each day of the year receives one of these four designations.
For 2024, Benton County experienced 299 and Franklin County experienced 313 good air quality days. This result was in keeping in the past few years in Benton and a bit higher than recent history in Franklin County.
In all years tracked, Benton and Franklin Counties have shown better air quality than both Spokane and Yakima Counties.
To simplify the graph, click in the legend on those components you would like to hide.
in HOUSING:
A house is typically the largest purchase in a person’s lifetime. Not surprisingly, housing costs make up the largest category in the consumer price index, most recently at 34%. Consequently, people pay attention to housing prices!
This indicator tracks the resale price of existing homes, as measured by the median, for each quarter.
For the most recent quarter, Q4 of 2024, the median was about $434,000. This is up from $308,000 in the same quarter of 2019. For the past two years, however, the median resale price in the greater Tri Cities has been rangebound, between $417,000 and $440,000. It appears that the days of rapid price appreciation are behind the local market. Currently, the state median resale price is more than $200,000 higher than here.
list updated 05.21.2025
New Intern Features
Cameron Burns
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Major: Computer Science
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2027
Post-graduation plans: Start a career designing computer systems.
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
My favorite part of work is how the data we use reflects real people and communities. It's satisfying knowing the work we do goes to people who use it to make a difference.
Malina Weigel
Hometown: Okanogan, WA
Major: Economics Major w/ a minor in business administration
Expected Graduation Date: June 2026
Post-graduation plans: I’m hoping to go to graduate school for Economics or Data Science!
After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:
In the time I’ve been working here my favorite thing is definitely being challenged to learn new topics I haven’t had experience with before.