Scores by category

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

Safety50#7,768/15,637
Economy54#7,153/15,631
Housing71#4,384/14,977
Health51#7,587/15,609
Healthcare29#11,180/15,650
Environment62#5,822/15,453
Education25#11,731/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,362/15,650
Community49#8,017/15,651
Leisure & amenities94#929/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cle Elum, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Kittitas 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

New homes permitted · high36.2 /1k
98/100Washington 4.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Preventable hospital stays · low1,349 /100k
98/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKittitas County value
Public EV charging ports · high23.6 /10k
97/100Washington 11.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyKittitas County value
Median Air Quality Index · low25
97/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyKittitas County value
Restaurants and bars · high14.1 /10k
94/100Washington 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsKittitas County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low122 min
86/100Washington 156 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesKittitas County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.0%
4/100Washington -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataKittitas County value
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
5/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsKittitas County value
Natural hazard risk · high94.9
5/100Washington 63.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyKittitas County value
Home price to income ratio · high7.1×
6/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an emergency room · high13.9 mi
9/100Washington 7.1 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesKittitas County value
Depression · high27.9%
14/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,017 (2015-2019) → 1,905 (2020-2024)
−37%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
2.8 /1k (2021) → 36.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+1,196%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
28.3% (2015-2019) → 2.7% (2020-2024)
−26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
61.7% (2015-2019) → 39.6% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.4× (2015-2019) → 7.0× (2020-2024)
+62%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeImproving
36.0% (2015-2019) → 23.9% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Cle Elum, Washington improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved4

Uninsured−9.2 points18.6% → 9.4%
Rent / income−12 points36.0% → 23.9%
Rent burden−22 points61.7% → 39.6%
Household income+31%$48,767 → $63,973

Declined1

Price / income+2.7×4.4× → 7.0×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Cle Elum, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.1 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	30%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.9%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Broadband subscriptions	77.6%2015-2019	86.1%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Effective property tax rate	0.66%2015-2019	0.59%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	81.0%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Home price to income ratio	4.4×2015-2019	7.0×2020-2024	+2.7×	Declined	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4302015-2019	0.3842020-2024	−0.046	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$48,7672015-2019	$63,9732020-2024	+31%	Improved	58%
Poverty rate	18.4%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	36.0%2015-2019	23.9%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	95%
Rent-burdened households	61.7%2015-2019	39.6%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.6%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Improved	95%

“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 Cle Elum, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cle Elum, 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, Cle Elum, Washington itself moved +11.6 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

1,905 residents (±315)

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 women (−3.5 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

1,905 residents (±315)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

White80%1,529
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino5.6%†106

Education

1,567 residents (±260)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma19%†298
High school or GED31%481
Some college23%364

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

970 households (±172)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k13%†125
$25k–50k13%†130
$50k–75k35%†336
$75k–100k8.2%†80
$100k–150k22%†218
$150k–200k3.2%†31
$200k or more5.2%†50

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+16.7 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

970 households (±172)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Own63%607
Rent37%†363

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

346 households (±118)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Under $75024%†83
$750–1,00019%†67
$1,000–1,50029%†

Home values

607 homes (±156)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k3.5%†21
$150k–250k7.6%†46
$250k–400k30%†184

Age of homes

1,134 homes (±173)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later6.9%†78
2000–200917%†195
1980–199921%†234

Size of homes

1,134 homes (±173)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Studio5.1%†58
1 bedroom12%†131
2 bedrooms31%†351

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

978 workers (±176)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone69%674
Carpool15%†143
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.5%†54
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†104
Other0.3%†3

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

874 workers (±170)

Cle Elum, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min51%†450
15–29 min20%†172
30–44 min8.6%†75

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 Ellensburg, 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 Kittitas County, the county holding most of Cle Elum's residents.

Kittitas County has 1,500 employer establishments, 314 for every 10,000 residents (1.26× the US rate of 248; 1.22× Washington's), with 13,283 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,435. The Census Bureau also counts 3,423 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,500; 3,423 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 314; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 13,283
Average annual pay: $47,435; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	175	36.6	2.37×More than typical	896	$72,023	183
Restaurants and other eating places	134	28.1	1.53×More than typical	1,857	$30,774	5
Construction of buildings	116	24.3	3.21×More than typical	390	$64,549	116
Lessors of real estate	72	15.1	1.22×About typical	210	$70,376	433
Ambulatory health care services	66	13.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	596	$49,993	121
Services to buildings and dwellings	60	12.6	1.86×More than typical	319	$42,520	164
Full-service restaurants	59	12.4	1.61×More than typical	895	$35,505	5
Other specialty trade contractors	53	11.1	4.42×More than typical	311	$91,781	75
Limited-service restaurants	48	10	1.25×More than typical	765	$25,486	—
Truck transportation	46	9.6	1.90×More than typical	187	$86,091	81
Building equipment contractors	45	9.4	1.57×More than typical	294	$70,259	31
Building finishing contractors	40	8.4	2.20×More than typical	171	$44,877	53

Rank places for an industry Open Kittitas County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 47,765 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 $41.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Cle Elum, Washington: $21.90 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $41.7K; −82% vs FY2025
Per resident: $21.90; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.1%; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

188.3KFY2017
259.2KFY2018
106.5KFY2019
246.2KFY2020
247.7KFY2021
352.9KFY2022
251KFY2023
187.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$30.5K73%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$9,72423%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$6911.7%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$5151.2%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$1620.4%
Retail trade (NAICS 4572) · 4572$72.05

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Cle Elum, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Cle Elum, Washington's figures are part of those of Kittitas County, WA ($5.7M 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: Cle Elum is mostly in Kittitas County.

See federal money in Kittitas 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.

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

House

Kim SchrierD-WA-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 92%Missed 1.0%

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.

Kittitas County65100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Ellensburg, WA68

Other cities and towns in Kittitas 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/5312945

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends