{"id":1674,"date":"2026-07-20T10:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/?page_id=1674"},"modified":"2026-07-20T10:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:50:10","slug":"may2026_blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/may2026_blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelan-Douglas Trends Blog – May 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know there are over 175 different community indicators on Chelan-Douglas Trends - each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?<\/p>

This issue of the Chelan-Douglas Trends blog lists the most recently updated indicators on the Chelan-Douglas Trends website.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

This page will be updated and email alerts sent on a quarterly basis. Don't miss an update - subscribe today<\/a>!<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Recent Updates<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In PEOPLE<\/strong>:<\/p>

Median age in the two counties continues to be above benchmarks.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Median age is a\u00a0summary measure\u00a0that\u00a0answers\u00a0the question of the age\u00a0structure\u00a0of an area\u2019s population\u00a0with one number.\u00a0Generally, a\u00a0median is that\u00a0middle\u00a0value of a set of\u00a0numbers that\u00a0divides it into two equal parts.\u00a0<\/p>

For Chelan and Douglas Counties, that value has typically been above\u00a0that of the U.S. and Washington. In 2024, for example, it was 40 years, versus 39.2 and\u00a038.7 years\u00a0of the U.S. and Washington state,\u00a0respectively.\u00a0The population here clearly is a bit older than these two\u00a0broad benchmarks, but not by much.\u00a0As\u00a0Trends\u00a0sister indicator\u00a0on age<\/a>\u00a0reveals, the result is\u00a0largely due\u00a0to higher shares of the population taken by ages 40+\u00a0here.\u00a0<\/p>

In ECONOMIC VITALITY<\/strong>:<\/p>

Quarterly taxable retail sales here have outpaced the growth statewide.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Since the middle of 2022, taxable retail sales registered in the two counties have outpaced those statewide. \u00a0For the first three quarters of 2025, year-over-year increases of this key measure of local economic health in the two counties were: 4.2%, 13.3% and 9.5%. \u00a0<\/p>

While this measure of the local economy covers most retail trade activities, state law applies the tax to several other industries. Foremost among them is construction. It is the activities of this industry that appear to be responsible for the large increase of the second and third quarters of last year. Once the 4th quarter numbers are reported, it is likely that a sizeable year-over-increase will be recorded. And it is likely that construction activity will lie behind the bulk of the increase.\u00a0<\/p>

The number of residents of the two counties at work continued to shrink in 2025.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

In 2019, over 61,300 residents were employed. By\u00a0last year, that number had shrunk to 58,000.\u00a0This\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0imply that\u00a0the number of\u00a0jobs\u00a0provided by employers in the two counties\u00a0has\u00a0diminished. That count\u00a0notched modest gains over the interval.\u00a0Rather, this\u00a0measure\u00a0of employment\u00a0refers to\u00a0those living\u00a0and working\u00a0in the two counties.\u00a0For the total count from\u00a0employers\u00a0located\u00a0in the two counties, workers\u00a0from other counties\u00a0supplement\u00a0the numbers of\u00a0those living and working here.\u00a0This measure also covers residents who commute, physically or virtually, to jobs in other counties or states.\u00a0<\/p>

Nonetheless, a shrinking number of residents who are employed points to a challenging trend: if the local economy continues to grow, then more workers will need either to move or commute here.\u00a0<\/p>

The total number and share of the population living at or below the poverty level has tumbled since the pandemic.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Poverty thresholds are set annually by the U.S. Census and change by the Consumer Price Index and well as by family size. For example, in 2024, the poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $31,812. Below that amount, all four people are deemed to live \u201cin poverty\u201d; above it, not in poverty.\u00a0<\/p>

For the two counties, the estimated number of two-county residents living at or under the poverty line was about 12,500, or a rate of 10.1%. In pre-pandemic 2019, analogous numbers were 15,550 and 13%. For 2024, the local poverty rate was considerably below the U.S. rate and nearly identical to the Washington rate.\u00a0<\/p>

In ENVIRONMENT<\/strong>:<\/p>

Electricity consumption here is, no surprise, all hydroelectric.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

For three of the past 5 years (2020-2024),\u00a0the source of electricity in the two counties was exclusively hydro.\u00a0In the two other years, a small amount of\u00a0nuclear\u00a0and wind entered the mix.\u00a0<\/p>

As the indicator shows, this is\u00a0vastly\u00a0different mix than the statewide average. In 2024, for example,\u00a0hydro amounted to 58%, followed by natural gas at 16%,\u00a0then wind at 11%.\u00a0Coal and nuclear shares landed a distant 4th\u00a0and 5th\u00a0statewide.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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In HEALTH<\/strong>:<\/p>

The number and share of the population without health insurance has risen slightly since the pandemic.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Good health depends on a welter of factors, many of which are not specifically health-based, such as housing, education and quality jobs. But healthcare does play a key role in population health. And one typically doesn\u2019t access healthcare without insurance coverage.\u00a0<\/p>

This measure tracks\u00a0residents\u00a0without it. As the graph shows, at the\u00a0onset of the Affordable Care Act, the numbers of\u00a0two-county\u00a0residents without health insurance plummeted \u2013 to a low of about 8,100 in 2016, or 6.9% of the population. Since then, they have risen. In 2024,\u00a0the estimated number of residents without insurance was 14,500,\u00a0or\u00a011.4%\u00a0of the population\u00a0These\u00a0are\u00a0somewhat larger\u00a0than in pre-pandemic 2019. And the rate is\u00a0now (and has recently been)\u00a0considerably above\u00a0the nation and the state.\u00a0<\/p>

In HOUSING<\/b>:<\/p>

The share of all housing units that are owner occupied runs a bit high here.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Owning one\u2019s home has been traditionally touted as\u00a0a part of the \u201cAmerican Dream.\u201d And home ownership is\u00a0a key element, often\u00a0the\u00a0key, for a family wealth-building. By these measures,\u00a0a large portion\u00a0of residents of the two counties are\u00a0living the dream and likely\u00a0accumulating\u00a0wealth.\u00a0<\/p>

As this indicator reveals,\u00a0an estimated 71% of all housing units\u00a0were owner-occupied. (Some may be rented, but this is a small percentage.)\u00a0This rate for 2024 was higher than the one\u00a0observed\u00a0for the U.S. and the state.\u00a0For most of the years captured by this indicator, this has been the case.\u00a0<\/p>

Of course, home ownership will\u00a0positively\u00a0track\u00a0with\u00a0the age of the population. As seen in indicator\u00a00.1.2<\/a>, residents here are a bit older than the medians of the U.S. and Washington.\u00a0<\/p>

The area\u2019s average monthly rent for 2-bedroom apartments has largely been the same over the past three years.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

The most recent\u00a0survey taken by the Washington Real Estate Research Center, from the first quarter of this year, puts the average rent for this\u00a0size\u00a0a unit at\u00a0$1,782 in the two counties. That is up a bit\u00a0(2%) from a year ago\u00a0and 3% from three years ago.\u00a0<\/p>

The Center\u2019s data\u00a0reveal\u00a0that vacancy\u00a0rates for 2BR\u00a0apartments\u00a0here\u00a0have been higher\u00a0than those statewide. For the\u00a0most recent quarter, the rate was 7%.\u00a0Generally, real\u00a0estate economists view a 5% vacancy\u00a0rate as one\u00a0indicating\u00a0equilibrium between supply and demand.\u00a0<\/p>

The area\u2019s median house resale price has fallen for the past year but is still above $500,000.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

Since the onset of the pandemic, the housing market in the two counties has been on a tear. In Q1 of 2020, the median price was approximately $353,000. (Note that this measure does not include new construction.) Within two years and one quarter, it breached $563,000, or a gain of nearly $100,000 per year!\u00a0<\/p>

But the last four quarters show an overall decline from the peak reached at the end of 2024 of $587,000. The most current reading, from Q4 of last year, was about $516,000. Note that this pattern largely resembles the run up seen statewide. Will this moderation continue - so that the median price falls below the half million mark?\u00a0<\/p>

In PUBLIC SAFETY<\/strong>:<\/p>

Property crime offenses in the two counties remain very low.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>

2024 data\u00a0reveal that the two counties\u00a0remain\u00a0quite\u00a0a safe environment\u00a0for\u00a0protecting one\u2019s property.\u00a0The total number of\u00a0property\u00a0crimes was the fourth lowest since the turn of the century,\u00a0with 1,744\u00a0offenses\u00a0reported to law\u00a0enforcement, or a rate of 13.7 per 1,000 residents.\u00a0A decade prior, the total was 2,436, yielding a much higher rate, 21.1 per 1,000 residents.\u00a0<\/p>

Peak numbers occurred in 2004,\u00a0when a total of 4,570 property crimes were reported to authorities, for a rate of 44.5 per 1,000 residents. The\u00a0year with the lowest numbers was 2019.\u00a0With one exception, property crime in the two counties has been scarcer than\u00a0the U.S.\u00a0since 2011.\u00a0And with one exception, the property crime rate here has been less\u00a0than the state rate since\u00a02004 and\u00a0is\u00a0currently much less.\u00a0<\/p>

Updated 5.21.2026<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The complete list of Chelan-Douglas Trends can be found here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1675,"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1674\/revisions\/1675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chelandouglastrends.com\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}