Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety45#510/924
Economy40#558/925
Housing59#383/925
Health57#395/925
Healthcare18#758/923
Environment26#676/917
Education11#827/925
Infrastructure81#181/925
Community26#685/925
Leisure & amenities46#502/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Suicide rate · low10.7 /100k
94/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
93/100Washington 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low1,600 /100k
93/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · low28
91/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Public transit commuters · high1.6%
91/100Washington 3.5%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Firearm deaths · low9.7 /100k
87/100Washington 11.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low22.0%
1/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high6.2%
5/100Washington 4.7%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
6/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · low81.4%
7/100Washington 92.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Income adjusted for local prices · low$53,617
9/100Washington $79,604United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · high30.2 /100k
10/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
99,446 (2020) → 105,727 (2025)
+6.3%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureImproving
89% (2021) → 68% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−21 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
4 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
New business applicationsImproving
6.9 /1k (2020) → 12.0 /1k (2025)
+74%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
55.2% (2010 & 2021) → 68.5% (2022 & 2024)
+13 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
7.1 /1k (2021) → 3.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area improved on 15 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 8 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved15

High school++4.7 points76.7% → 81.4%
Weekly wage+33%$957 → $1,275
Suicides−29%15.1 /100k → 10.7 /100k
Firearm deaths−36%15.1 /100k → 9.7 /100k
Gyms+34%0.7 /10k → 0.9 /10k

Declined6

Overdose deaths+77%17.1 /100k → 30.2 /100k
Rent burden+8.4 points34.6% → 43.0%
Price / income+0.9×3.2× → 4.1×
Traffic deaths+36%17.8 /100k → 24.2 /100k
Libraries−6.6%1.0 /10k → 1.0 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.0 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	+22%	Improved	78%
Average commute time	19.0 min2015-2019	20.2 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	27%
Average weekly wage	$9572020	$1,2752025	+33%	Improved	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.7%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Broadband subscriptions	82.6%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	41%
Child poverty rate	20.3%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Distance to an airport	63 mi2020	63 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	17.1 /100k2020	30.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+77%	Declined	4%
Effective property tax rate	0.99%2015-2019	0.74%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	84%
Firearm deaths	15.1 /100k2020	9.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−36%	Improved	95%
Grocery stores	2.9 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	−9.2%	Declined	25%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+34%	Improved	83%
High school diploma or higher	76.7%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Improved	94%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	15%
Homicide rate	5.8 /100k2020	4.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−31%	Improved	57%
Income adjusted for local prices	$41,7682019	$53,6172024	+28%	Improved	24%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4212015-2019	0.4422020-2024	+0.021	Within the margin of error	13%
Median household income	$55,5562015-2019	$73,2672020-2024	+32%	Improved	75%
New business applications	6.9 /1k2020	12.0 /1k2025	+74%	Improved	83%
Pharmacies	0.8 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+5.8%	Improved	85%
Poverty rate	14.8%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Property crime rate	2,579 /100k2020	1,534 /100k2025	−41%	Improved	66%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.0 /10k2024	−6.6%	Declined	18%
Public transit commuters	0.6%2015-2019	1.6%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	99%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	26.4%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent-burdened households	34.6%2015-2019	43.0%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Declined	7%
Restaurants and bars	7.5 /10k2020	7.5 /10k2025	−0.9%	Little change	42%
Suicide rate	15.1 /100k2020	10.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−29%	Improved	92%
Traffic deaths	17.8 /100k2015-2019	24.2 /100k2020-2024	+36%	Declined	13%
Unemployment rate	8.9%2020	6.2%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.2%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Violent crime rate	270 /100k2020	253 /100k2025	−6.3%	Improved	35%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area 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, Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area itself moved −2.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

101,799 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

35,398 households (±515)

Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k15%5,485
$25k–50k19%6,623
$50k–75k17%6,045

Homes

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

Owners and renters

35,398 households (±515)

Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Own66%23,461
Rent34%11,937

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

43,639 workers (±1,132)

Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone73%31,962
Carpool12%5,410
Public transit1.6%†696

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 no occupation wages for Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area.

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.

Moses Lake, WA has 2,123 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248), with 24,839 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,157. The Census Bureau also counts 5,371 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,123; 5,371 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248
Paid employees: 24,839
Average annual pay: $55,157; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Moses Lake, WA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	183	17.8	1.15×About typical	1,239	$74,669	281
Restaurants and other eating places	174	16.9	0.92×About typical	2,100	$25,683	44
Lessors of real estate	111	10.8	0.87×About typical	317	$50,464	696
Truck transportation	108	10.5	2.07×More than typical	470	$67,998	275
Ambulatory health care services	100	9.7	0.47×Fewer than typical	1,340	$61,856	134
Construction of buildings	99	9.6	1.27×More than typical	347	$46,908	242
Full-service restaurants	65	6.3	0.82×About typical	643	$31,739	17
Limited-service restaurants	65	6.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,184	$22,893	16
Services to buildings and dwellings	51	4.9	0.73×Fewer than typical	213	$44,779	295
Religious organizations	50	4.9	0.87×About typical	234	$24,684	—
Building equipment contractors	49	4.8	0.79×Fewer than typical	675	$89,970	41
Gasoline stations	47	4.6	1.41×More than typical	383	$34,984	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 103,035 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $48.4M on contracts performed in Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area: $458 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $48.4M; +4.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $458; US $1,995
Sole-source: 7.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.1%; 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

Federal Emergency Management Agency$20.5M42%
Bureau of Reclamation$10.8M22%
Agricultural Marketing Service$5.6M12%
Bureau of Land Management$4.3M8.9%
Department of the Army$2.6M5.3%
Forest Service$2.1M4.2%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.4M2.8%
Environmental Protection Agency$858.5K1.8%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

53.8MFY2017
63MFY2018
53.9MFY2019
38.8MFY2020
28.2MFY2021
42.2MFY2022
52.7MFY2023
37.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$20.4M42%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$4.2M8.7%
Utility system construction · 2371$4M8.3%
Other crop farming · 1119$3.7M7.7%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$2.9M6.0%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$2.6M5.3%

Largest awards

JOHN W. KEYS III PUMP-GENERATING PLANT DISCHARGE TUBE COATING-LINING REHABILITATION$37.7M
HARTMAN-WALSH PAINTING COMPANY· Grant County, WA· Construction & real property· Aug 20, 2020 – Aug 24, 2026· 140R1020C0012
GRAND COULEE JOHN W. KEYS III PUMP-GENERATING PLANT EXCITATION SYSTEM, GOVERNOR, AND PROTECTIVE RELAY REPLACEMENT AND CONTROLS MODERNIZATION, COLUMBIA BASIN PROJECT, WASHINGTON$34.7M
ANDRITZ HYDRO CORP· Grant County, WA· Construction & real property· Apr 12, 2019 – Sep 11, 2026· 140R1019C0008
REVERSE FLOW GATES, JOHN W. KEYS III PUMP GENERATING PLANT, GRAND COULEE DAM, WASHINGTON.$31.5M
GREENBERRY INDUSTRIAL LLC· Grant County, WA· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 19, 2017 – Sep 10, 2026· INR17PC00104

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $544.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area: $5,153 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $544.8M; −19% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,153; US $12,957
Loan face value: $30.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 4.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$319.7M59%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$41.3M7.6%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$38.3M7.0%
81.253 · Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chain Demonstrations and Commercial Applications$27M5.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$26.7M4.9%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$18.3M3.4%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$12.4M2.3%
93.224 · Health Center Program$7.2M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

GROUP14 TECHNOLOGIES, INC$27M5.0%
WOODINVILLE, WA
MOSES LAKE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER$5.9M1.1%
MOSES LAKE, WA
WASHINGTON ST DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$5.2M1.0%
OLYMPIA, WA
FAMILY SERVICES OF GRANT COUNTY$5.2M1.0%
MOSES LAKE, WA
BIG BEND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$406.1M75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$43M7.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Energy$27M5.0%
Farm Service Agency$21.9M4.0%
Department of Agriculture
Health Resources and Services Administration$7.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

492MFY2021
474.2MFY2022
486.3MFY2023
477.8MFY2024
675.6MFY2025
544.8MFY2026

County aggregates

83%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Moses Lake, WA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Grant CountyCentral county35105,727

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Moses LakePrincipal city26,083

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Washington

Areas based in Washington, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M34180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Moses Lake, WA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Moses Lake, WA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Washington

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved15

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought