Did you know there are over 175 different community indicators on Chelan-Douglas Trends - each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?
This issue of the Chelan-Douglas Trends blog lists the most recently updated indicators on the Chelan-Douglas Trends website.
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In ECONOMIC VITALITY:
Well, it appears that the 2022 estimates for the metro area (Chelan & Douglas Counties) were a statistical anomaly. After they jumped a jaw-dropping $22,000 in 2022, MHI estimates by Census declined by about $14.000 for 2023. At $73,600, however, this middle value of household income in the two counties is still considerably above the pre-pandemic level.
Personal income has three sources: from investments, from federal transfer payments and from work, or salaries and wages. The last component is typically the largest. And it is the one amenable to economic development efforts and reflects labor and product markets in a given metro area. For 2023, the most recent year of data, the average of all wage earners in the two counties was about $52,250.
This is far below the state average of about $87,000. But it represents a $10,000 gain from pre-pandemic 2019.
To simplify the graph, click on any item in the legend you would like removed.
Total Value of Merchandise Exports
To no surprise, the overwhelming leader of products from the metro area that are shipped overseas come from agriculture, specifically horticulture. For the most recent year with data, 2023, the value of all exports from the two counties was $479 million, with $438 million attributed to agricultural products.
Although slightly higher than 2022, this result represents a steep decline from the peak of 2018, when the value of exports was $638 million. Notably, 2018 saw the first Trump administration imposing tariffs in the first half of the year, with retaliation from major trading partners occurring the latter half.
Size of the civilian labor force & labor force participation rate
First, some quick definitions: the civilian labor force is the sum of people employed and unemployed but looking for work, sans uniformed military. The labor force participation rate, as defined here, is the civilian labor force divided by the total population ages 16 and over.
Three quick observations about these measures: 1) the size of the metro area labor force has yet to recover from the pandemic. At 66,200, about 2,000 workers are still “missing” in 2023. 2) The participation rate in the two counties has typically been higher than the state average, a phenomenon observed in other heavily agricultural counties. 3) The rate has diminished significantly over the past 30 years, with a recent steep decline from 2019, landing at 65.5% in 2023.
Quarterly residential building permits
Residential construction is a bedrock of a local economy. It has typically has high labor “intensity” and also strong multiplier, or “ripple,” effects throughout the economy. This particular version of building permits offers a high frequency look at the local status of residential construction, at least compared to its companion annual rate. While not all permits convert to actual construction, most do.
With nearly 1,0009 permits, 2024 was the best year tracked by this indicator. It far outpaced the rate per capita statewide.
In EDUCATION:
In place since 2012, this assessment of beginning kindergarteners captures the preparation youngsters have had at home and pre-school. It encompasses 6 areas: social emotion, cognitive, verbal, math and physical. Taken in the fall, WaKids assessment creates a baseline by scoring each student against standards for learning. Ideally, a child meets standards in all domains.
For the 14 public school districts in the two counties, the 2023-2024 results revealed that 41% of the entering kindergarteners showed readiness all domains. This result demonstrate improvement in the districts from 2012-2023, when the same measure was 31%. The share, however, significantly trails the state average, which is nearly 52%.
To simplify the graph, click on any item in the legend you would like removed.
Share of the Population Ages 25+ with at Least Some College or an Associate's Degree
Census estimates six different levels of educational attainment in the adult population. This one measures the shares of 1) those whose terminal degree is an associate, and 2) those who have had some post-secondary coursework, including certificates, but no degree.
The indicator reveals how significant this population is in the metro area. For 2023, about 13% of the adult population was estimated to have an associate’s or vocational degree while about 23% had some post-secondary exposure. These rates are now far above the state and U.S. equivalents.
To simplify the graph, click on any item in the legend you would like removed.
Share of the Population Ages 25+ with At Least a Bachelor’s Degree
Census estimates six different levels of educational attainment in the adult population. This one measures the shares of 1) those whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, and 2) those who have advanced (masters or Ph.D.) or professional degrees (physicians, lawyers) Unlike the view from its companion indicator, 3.3.2, this indicator show this segment of the metro area population to be significantly smaller than those of Washington State and the U.S.
However, it has grown. The combined shares in 2023 were about 28%, higher than a decade ago, and higher than pre-pandemic 2019.
To simplify the graph, click on any item in the legend you would like removed.
In OUR VALLEY OUR FUTURE/NUESTRO VALLE NUESTRO FUTURO:
Homeless Students by the McKinney-Vento Rule
Homeless students by this definition aren’t necessarily living on the street. Rather, they live with no permanent roof over their heads, largely moving from one home to another. Naturally, the number will be larger than the traditional one-day count taken every January, which focuses on shelters and those living on the street. The McKinney-Vento counts stem from an October census.
For school year 2023-2024, the number in all public-school districts in the two counties was the lowest since 2017-2018. The rate fell as well, dropping from 47.6 to 42.9 per 1,000 students from three years ago. Yet, the graph makes quite clear that the rate of homeless students in the two counties is far above the state average rate.
Updated 3.20.2025
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