Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety85#2,410/15,637
Economy56#6,907/15,631
Housing38#9,258/14,977
Health45#8,620/15,609
Healthcare6#14,657/15,650
Environment89#1,745/15,453
Education14#13,448/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,070/15,650
Community52#7,461/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#12,925/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Carson, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Skamania County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Job growth · high27.5%
100/100Washington -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSkamania County value
Violent crime rate · low63 /100k
95/100Washington 284 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSkamania County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Washington 3.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSkamania County value
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
93/100Washington 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSkamania County value
Property crime rate · low438 /100k
92/100Washington 1,975 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSkamania County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.9 µg/m³
91/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySkamania County value

Weaknesses

Dentists · low8 /100k
1/100Washington 88 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkamania County value
Social associations · low3.2 /10k
1/100Washington 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkamania County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Washington 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSkamania County value
Flu vaccinations · low28.0%
5/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkamania County value
Traffic deaths · high30.7 /100k
7/100Washington 9.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataSkamania County value
Home price to income ratio · high7.1×
7/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,830 (2015-2019) → 2,318 (2020-2024)
−18%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
38.4% (2015-2019) → 4.7% (2020-2024)
−34 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
2.7% (2015-2019) → 19.9% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
62.1% (2015-2019) → 45.9% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.1× (2015-2019) → 7.1× (2020-2024)
+74%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Poverty rateImproving
20.7% (2015-2019) → 8.5% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Carson, Washington improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Poverty−12 points20.7% → 8.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Carson, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.5 min2015-2019	27.6 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	73.1%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Effective property tax rate	0.61%2015-2019	0.60%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	91.3%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	7.1×2020-2024	+3.0×	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4032015-2019	0.4332020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$55,8192015-2019	$68,9292020-2024	+23%	Within the margin of error	41%
Poverty rate	20.7%2015-2019	8.5%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	95%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	36.2%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	62.1%2015-2019	45.9%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Carson, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Carson, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Carson, Washington itself moved −0.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,318 residents (±460)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−6.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,318 residents (±460)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

White84%1,944
Black1.6%†37
Hispanic or Latino3.1%†72
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native4.1%†96
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races7.3%†169

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (−8.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,900 residents (±358)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma13%†238
High school or GED39%733
Some college25%†481
Associate degree7.8%†149
Bachelor's degree7.6%†145
Graduate degree8.1%†154

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,082 households (±180)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k27%†295
$25k–50k15%†164
$50k–75k13%†144
$75k–100k23%†247
$100k–150k8.2%†89
$150k–200k10%†110
$200k or more3.1%†33

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (−19.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,082 households (±180)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Own73%795
Rent27%†287

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

259 households (±107)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Under $75020%†52
$750–1,00032%†82
$1,000–1,50030%†77

Home values

795 homes (±166)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k20%†162
$150k–250k2.9%†23
$250k–400k11%†85

Age of homes

1,195 homes (±184)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later4.4%†53
2000–200912%†141
1980–199917%†209

Size of homes

1,195 homes (±184)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Studio1.8%†22
1 bedroom9.8%†117
2 bedrooms26%†306

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

836 workers (±250)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone66%†552
Carpool11%†95
Public transit0.0%0
Walk10%†86
Bike3.0%†25
Work from home6.5%†54
Other2.9%†24

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

782 workers (±246)

Carson, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min33%†260
15–29 min32%†249
30–44 min10%†79

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Skamania County, the county holding most of Carson's residents.

Skamania County has 214 employer establishments, 169 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.66× Washington's), with 1,624 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,162. The Census Bureau also counts 919 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 214; 919 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 169; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 1,624
Average annual pay: $42,162; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Skamania County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	23	18.2	1.18×About typical	67	$59,478	53
Construction of buildings	21	16.6	2.20×More than typical	56	$50,482	33
Building equipment contractors	11	8.7	1.45×More than typical	37	$55,838	7
Restaurants and other eating places	11	8.7	0.47×Fewer than typical	123	$27,398	4
Lessors of real estate	10	7.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	30	$33,933	95
Gasoline stations	7	5.5	1.71×Too few to compare	50	$29,980	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	7	5.5	0.83×Too few to compare	30	$66,067	48
Traveler accommodation	7	5.5	3.07×Too few to compare	401	$30,486	10
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	6	4.7	1.92×Too few to compare	23	$62,913	—
Other specialty trade contractors	6	4.7	1.89×Too few to compare	14	$79,214	28
Ambulatory health care services	5	4	0.19×Too few to compare	37	$46,514	52
Individual and family services	5	4	1.41×Too few to compare	22	$31,273	4

Rank places for an industry Open Skamania County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,636 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $136.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Carson, Washington: $58.90 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $136.5K; +2,105% vs FY2025
Per resident: $58.90; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.4%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Highway Administration$111.2K81%
Forest Service$14.9K11%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$11.1K8.1%

Top recipients

CASCADE CIVIL CORP$111.2K81%
AQUATIC CONTRACTING LLC$14.3K11%
NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN CONSTRUCTION, INC.$7,4265.4%
MOORE-CLARK U.S.A., INC.$3,2272.4%
AANTILIA LLC$3690.3%

Spending by fiscal year

54.2KFY2017
47.2KFY2018
92.3KFY2019
168.1KFY2020
14.9KFY2021
22.6KFY2022
59.2KFY2023
9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$111.2K81%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$14.3K11%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$7,4265.4%
Animal food manufacturing · 3111$3,2272.4%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$3690.3%
Waste collection · 5621$2360.2%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Carson, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Carson, Washington's figures are part of those of Skamania County, WA ($20.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Carson is mostly in Skamania County.

See federal money in Skamania County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Carson, Washington is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marie Gluesenkamp PerezD-WA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Skamania County66100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA80

Other cities and towns in Skamania County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5310320

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends