City · Klickitat County, Washington

Goldendale, Washington

Goldendale is a city in Klickitat County, Washington. It has 3,483 residents. Goldendale, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 29 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,083 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #348 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), time spent in the emergency room (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), flu vaccinations (low) and natural hazard risk (high).

29Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,083 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #348 of 395 in WA
Population: 3,483 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,176.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 5327435

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety54#7,194/15,637
Economy12#13,815/15,631
Housing24#11,366/14,977
Health43#8,911/15,609
Healthcare30#10,900/15,650
Environment77#3,630/15,453
Education10#14,059/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,455/15,650
Community45#8,670/15,651
Leisure & amenities87#2,038/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Preventable hospital stays · low1,587 /100k
95/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKlickitat County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low104 min
95/100Washington 156 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesKlickitat County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Washington 3.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataKlickitat County value
Voter turnout · high75.8%
88/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionKlickitat County value
Grocery stores · high2.5 /10k
87/100Washington 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsKlickitat County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Washington 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKlickitat County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.7%
2/100Washington -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataKlickitat County value
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKlickitat County value
Natural hazard risk · high97.5
3/100Washington 63.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyKlickitat County value
Unemployment rate · high14.0%
3/100Washington 4.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Bachelor's degree or higher · low8.1%
5/100Washington 39.6%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Washington 5.6United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationKlickitat County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
13.1% (2015-2019) → 44.0% (2020-2024)
+31 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
35.2% (2015-2019) → 8.1% (2020-2024)
−27 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
54.2% (2015-2019) → 73.3% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateWorsening
12.2% (2015-2019) → 29.7% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.3× (2015-2019) → 5.0× (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
13.1% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
−4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Goldendale, Washington improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 12 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Bachelor's+−27 points35.2% → 8.1%
Poverty+17 points12.2% → 29.7%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Goldendale, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.6 min2015-2019	23.2 min2020-2024	+3.6 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.2%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−27 points	Declined	0%
Broadband subscriptions	81.4%2015-2019	80.0%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Effective property tax rate	0.71%2015-2019	0.74%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	91.4%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	5.0×2020-2024	+1.7×	Within the margin of error	7%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5192015-2019	0.4612020-2024	−0.059	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$47,0002015-2019	$39,7832020-2024	−15%	Within the margin of error	2%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	29.7%2020-2024	+17 points	Declined	1%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.7%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	54.2%2015-2019	73.3%2020-2024	+19 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Unemployment rate	10.7%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.1%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	86%

“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 Goldendale, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Goldendale, 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, Goldendale, Washington itself moved −20.3 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

3,483 residents (±16)

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: 20–29 women (+4.9 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

3,483 residents (±16)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

White85%2,969
Black0.0%†1
Hispanic or Latino7.8%†270

Education

2,356 residents (±283)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma9.3%†220
High school or GED44%1,035
Some college31%†728

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

1,667 households (±223)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k32%†532
$25k–50k26%†428
$50k–75k15%†253
$75k–100k13%†224
$100k–150k8.6%†144
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more5.2%†86

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 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

1,667 households (±223)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Own52%864
Rent48%803

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

765 households (±208)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Under $75033%†253
$750–1,00031%†238
$1,000–1,50035%†

Home values

864 homes (±212)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k40%†343
$150k–250k23%†201
$250k–400k34%†

Age of homes

1,911 homes (±265)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later1.9%†37
2000–20094.7%†89
1980–199926%†500

Size of homes

1,911 homes (±265)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom7.8%†149
2 bedrooms33%†634

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

1,176 workers (±304)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone75%881
Carpool12%†143
Public transit0.0%0
Walk7.5%†88
Bike1.2%†14
Work from home3.6%†42
Other0.7%†8

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

1,134 workers (±306)

Goldendale, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min40%†459
15–29 min21%†235
30–44 min15%†166

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

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 Klickitat County, the county holding most of Goldendale's residents.

Klickitat County has 585 employer establishments, 248 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Washington's), with 4,247 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,905. The Census Bureau also counts 1,936 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 585; 1,936 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 248; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 4,247
Average annual pay: $54,905; US $68,342

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

Construction of buildings	52	22	2.91×More than typical	134	$36,604	97
Specialty trade contractors	49	20.8	1.34×More than typical	142	$49,092	94
Restaurants and other eating places	40	16.9	0.92×About typical	310	$29,977	5
Ambulatory health care services	23	9.7	0.47×Fewer than typical	121	$70,512	92
Full-service restaurants	21	8.9	1.16×About typical	207	$29,333	—
Lessors of real estate	20	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	27	$45,074	212
Other specialty trade contractors	19	8	3.21×More than typical	56	$53,893	44
Truck transportation	19	8	1.59×More than typical	33	$60,667	37
Religious organizations	17	7.2	1.30×More than typical	54	$15,370	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	15	6.4	0.95×About typical	33	$85,758	94
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	14	5.9	1.46×More than typical	30	$26,100	33
Architectural, engineering and related services	14	5.9	1.70×More than typical	100	$89,590	28

Rank places for an industry Open Klickitat County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 23,613 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Klickitat 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.

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

House

Dan NewhouseR-WA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 2.4%

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.

Klickitat County61100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Klickitat 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

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