Scores by category

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

Safety70#4,706/15,637
Economy93#1,088/15,631
Housing60#6,032/14,977
Health70#4,641/15,609
Healthcare54#7,147/15,650
Environment62#5,838/15,453
Education93#1,147/15,649
Infrastructure62#5,993/15,650
Community33#10,466/15,651
Leisure & amenities40#9,431/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Food insecurity · low6.4%
98/100Washington 10.5%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Median Air Quality Index · low23
97/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWhitman County value
Physical inactivity · low14.5%
96/100Washington 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Public libraries · high3.1 /10k
96/100Washington 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWhitman County value
Public EV charging ports · high19.6 /10k
96/100Washington 11.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWhitman County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,577 /100k
95/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhitman County value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Washington 54%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWhitman County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Washington 5.6United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWhitman County value
Child care cost burden · high41.8%
5/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhitman County value
Voter turnout · low53.6%
8/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWhitman County value
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWhitman County value
Suicide rate · high22.9 /100k
12/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWhitman County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,028 (2015-2019) → 1,147 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
11.9 /1k (2021) → 1.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−85%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
19.7 min (2015-2019) → 28.4 min (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
27.3% (2015-2019) → 35.3% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$66,250 (2015-2019) → $88,750 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.6× (2015-2019) → 3.2× (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Palouse, Washington improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Palouse, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	28.4 min2020-2024	+8.7 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	46.4%2015-2019	45.1%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	89.2%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Child poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Effective property tax rate	0.99%2015-2019	0.71%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
High school diploma or higher	99.8%2015-2019	98.6%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	38%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3792015-2019	0.3482020-2024	−0.031	Within the margin of error	75%
Median household income	$66,2502015-2019	$88,7502020-2024	+34%	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent as share of income	24.6%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	43%

“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 Palouse, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Palouse, 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, Palouse, Washington itself moved −6.9 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,147 residents (±213)

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 (+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

1,147 residents (±213)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

White84%965
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino6.5%†74

Education

787 residents (±116)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma1.4%†11
High school or GED18%†138
Some college22%174

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

466 households (±73)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k11%†50
$25k–50k11%†51
$50k–75k14%†66
$75k–100k24%†110
$100k–150k18%†83
$150k–200k16%†73
$200k or more7.1%†33

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−18.1 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

466 households (±73)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Own85%398
Rent15%†68

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

68 households (±24)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Under $75041%†28
$750–1,00018%†12
$1,000–1,50031%†21

Home values

398 homes (±67)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k10%†40
$150k–250k27%†109
$250k–400k37%149

Age of homes

504 homes (±78)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later5.0%†25
2000–20099.3%†47
1980–199914%†73

Size of homes

504 homes (±78)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Studio2.4%†12
1 bedroom9.7%†49
2 bedrooms20%†100

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

550 workers (±100)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone73%403
Carpool13%†71
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.4%†2
Bike0.0%0
Work from home12%†68
Other1.1%†6

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−10.8 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

482 workers (±83)

Palouse, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min16%†76
15–29 min55%263
30–44 min19%†93

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 Pullman, 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 Whitman County, the county holding most of Palouse's residents.

Whitman County has 873 employer establishments, 184 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.71× Washington's), with 11,417 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,100. The Census Bureau also counts 2,533 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 873; 2,533 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 184; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 11,417
Average annual pay: $56,100; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	76	16	0.87×About typical	1,410	$20,762	16
Lessors of real estate	58	12.2	0.99×About typical	277	$41,282	321
Ambulatory health care services	49	10.3	0.49×Fewer than typical	406	$72,323	121
Specialty trade contractors	46	9.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	315	$62,873	81
Construction of buildings	38	8	1.06×About typical	198	$70,798	66
Full-service restaurants	35	7.4	0.96×About typical	593	$23,406	3
Religious organizations	30	6.3	1.14×About typical	281	$19,808	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	26	5.5	0.81×About typical	88	$46,739	106
Banks and credit unions	24	5	1.56×More than typical	150	$53,933	—
Limited-service restaurants	24	5	0.63×Fewer than typical	649	$18,539	10
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	4.2	0.83×About typical	122	$41,189	20
Building equipment contractors	17	3.6	0.59×Fewer than typical	191	$65,220	6

Rank places for an industry Open Whitman County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 47,568 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Palouse, Washington: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

4.8FY2017

What was bought

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 Palouse, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Palouse, Washington's figures are part of those of Whitman County, WA ($5.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Whitman 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.

Palouse, 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.

Whitman County64100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pullman, WA62

Other cities and towns in Whitman 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/5352950