City · Stevens County, Washington

Kettle Falls, Washington

Kettle Falls is a city in Stevens County, Washington, part of the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA metro area. It has 1,575 residents. Kettle Falls, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 19 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,730 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #376 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), violent crime rate (low) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on firearm deaths (high), flu vaccinations (low) and pharmacies (low).

19Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,730 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #376 of 395 in WA
Population: 1,575 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,413.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 5335485

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety52#7,568/15,637
Economy29#11,056/15,631
Housing36#9,532/14,977
Health23#12,006/15,609
Healthcare34#10,260/15,650
Environment22#12,025/15,453
Education18#12,820/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,308/15,650
Community35#10,170/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,172/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kettle Falls, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Stevens 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 · low1,133 /100k
99/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStevens County value
Violent crime rate · low87 /100k
89/100Washington 284 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationStevens County value
Voter turnout · high75.6%
88/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionStevens County value
Property crime rate · low549 /100k
87/100Washington 1,975 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationStevens County value
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyStevens County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Washington 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStevens County value

Weaknesses

Firearm deaths · high34.8 /100k
1/100Washington 11.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataStevens County value
Flu vaccinations · low24.0%
2/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStevens County value
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
5/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsStevens County value
Suicide rate · high26.6 /100k
7/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataStevens County value
Drought exposure · high89%
7/100Washington 54%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAStevens County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low47.9%
9/100Washington 85.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStevens County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,769 (2015-2019) → 1,575 (2020-2024)
−11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.6% (2015-2019) → 86.4% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
18.8% (2015-2019) → 8.9% (2020-2024)
−9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.6× (2015-2019) → 5.1× (2020-2024)
+43%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
53.9% (2015-2019) → 59.9% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
20.0% (2015-2019) → 14.5% (2020-2024)
−5.5 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, Kettle Falls, Washington improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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

Broadband+20 points66.6% → 86.4%

Declined1

Price / income+1.5×3.6× → 5.1×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Kettle Falls, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.0 min2015-2019	18.8 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.8%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Broadband subscriptions	66.6%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
Effective property tax rate	0.79%2015-2019	0.59%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	57%
High school diploma or higher	85.4%2015-2019	87.0%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4012015-2019	0.4412020-2024	+0.040	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$45,3372015-2019	$48,6822020-2024	+7.4%	Within the margin of error	14%
Poverty rate	20.0%2015-2019	14.5%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	32.9%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	53.9%2015-2019	59.9%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.4%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%

“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 Kettle Falls, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kettle Falls, 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, Kettle Falls, Washington itself moved −5.3 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

1,575 residents (±272)

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 (−4.0 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

1,575 residents (±272)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

White88%1,382
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino2.9%†45

Education

1,119 residents (±191)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma13%†146
High school or GED25%281
Some college36%402

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

779 households (±127)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k32%†252
$25k–50k20%†157
$50k–75k14%†109
$75k–100k19%†150
$100k–150k10%†79
$150k–200k0.8%†6
$200k or more3.3%†26

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+3.3 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

779 households (±127)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Own59%462
Rent41%†317

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

284 households (±93)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Under $75039%†110
$750–1,00050%†143
$1,000–1,50011%†31

Home values

462 homes (±88)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k17%†78
$150k–250k33%†153
$250k–400k37%†170

Age of homes

875 homes (±138)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later4.7%†41
2000–20099.6%†84
1980–199936%†311

Size of homes

875 homes (±138)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Studio1.0%†9
1 bedroom19%†163
2 bedrooms34%†300

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

646 workers (±137)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone89%572
Carpool4.2%†27
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.4%†22
Bike1.1%†7
Work from home2.8%†18
Other0.0%0

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

628 workers (±135)

Kettle Falls, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min37%†231
15–29 min50%†317
30–44 min4.5%†

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 Spokane-Spokane Valley, 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 Stevens County, the county holding most of Kettle Falls's residents.

Stevens County has 943 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Washington's), with 8,423 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,662. The Census Bureau also counts 3,068 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 943; 3,068 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 8,423
Average annual pay: $49,662; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	81	16.6	1.07×About typical	283	$55,251	260
Construction of buildings	67	13.7	1.81×More than typical	184	$83,658	147
Restaurants and other eating places	56	11.5	0.62×Fewer than typical	615	$23,491	13
Ambulatory health care services	51	10.4	0.50×Fewer than typical	864	$49,587	125
Truck transportation	41	8.4	1.66×More than typical	183	$62,541	81
Lessors of real estate	36	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	71	$37,338	278
Religious organizations	36	7.4	1.33×More than typical	113	$21,389	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	27	5.5	0.82×About typical	139	$31,511	162
Automotive repair and maintenance	24	4.9	0.97×About typical	100	$54,300	48
Building equipment contractors	23	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	140	$53,679	34
Full-service restaurants	22	4.5	0.59×Fewer than typical	181	$26,011	5
Building finishing contractors	21	4.3	1.13×About typical	42	$44,524	64

Rank places for an industry Open Stevens County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 48,895 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: Kettle Falls is mostly in Stevens County.

See federal money in Stevens 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.

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

House

Michael BaumgartnerR-WA-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%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.

Stevens County37100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA64

Other cities and towns in Stevens 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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