Official Federal Data
Kittitas County, Washington
FIPS 53037 · Ellensburg, WA · Population 47,172
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$73,804 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.7%
Unemployment
4% national
$2.6B ▲
GDP
37% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$73,804 ▲
Per Capita
$43,661 ▲
Mean Household
$102,663 ▲
Poverty Rate
14.4% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Kittitas County$73,804
Washington$98,141
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 16.7%
18-34 · 32.3%
35-54 · 21.3%
55-64 · 12.7%
65+ · 17%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.8 pts
37%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.3 pts
13.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
47,172
Population
24,677
Labor Force
Employed
23,022
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.7%
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.8%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 14.4%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Accommodation and Food Services employs 2,588 workers (25.6% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $32,169.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $2.6B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $77,225 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $32,169, a 2.4x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Construction Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,443
Cluster Employment
1.98x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Crop Production
14.56x 832
Accommodation
3.48x 722
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
2.98x 122
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.25x 80
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
1.98x 253
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
1.68x 399
Construction of Buildings
1.60x 321
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.58x 234
Specialty Trade Contractors
1.54x 869
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.51x 531
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.35x
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
98 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 14.56x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$497,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,341 ▲
Rent/Mo
61.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
19% ▼
Vacancy
6.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,002/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,108/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,454/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,022/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,439/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,845/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 6.7x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
- Elevated vacancy: 19% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,845/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,260 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.9%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.4% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
37,363/yr
15,671/yr
9,043/yr
3,831/yr
3,463/yr
2,968/yr
2,387/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
38.5%
Service
23.8%
Sales & Office
17.4%
Construction / Maint.
9.3%
Production / Transport
10.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 23,022 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 28,545 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Kittitas County shows strong potential for crop production attraction, with a 14.56x concentration and 832 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across crop production, accommodation, and support activities for agriculture and forestry creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Kittitas County, Washington, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Kittitas County, Washington?
47,172 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Kittitas County, Washington?
$73,804 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Kittitas County, Washington?
4.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Kittitas County, Washington?
$2.6B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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