Spokane, WA

Census Place

2024 Population

230,293

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

13.8%

5.46% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$70,064

6.57% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$363,500

11.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

111,645

Population & Diversity

Spokane, WA is home to a population of 230k people, from which 97.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.69% of Spokane, WA residents were born outside of the country (13.1k people).

In 2024, there were 13.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (179k people) in Spokane, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 13.4k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 6.36k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Spokane, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Spokane, WA was 97.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Spokane, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Spokane, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
179k ± 1.54k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
13.4k ± 1.06k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
6.36k ± 774

8.37%

Hispanic Population

19.3k people

8.37% of the people in Spokane, WA are hispanic (19.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Spokane, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

5.69%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

13.1k people

5.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

13.3k people

As of 2024, 5.69% of Spokane, WA residents (13.1k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Spokane, WA was 5.8%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Spokane, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,835 ± 459
Gulf War (2001-)
4,613 ± 569
Gulf War (1990s)
2,710 ± 436

Spokane, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.05 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Spokane, WA.

Economy

The economy of Spokane, WA employs 112k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Spokane, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (20,492 people), Retail Trade (13,856 people), and Educational Services (10,338 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($117,500), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($98,333), and Utilities ($94,545).

Employment

Occupations

112k

2024 Value

± 2,783

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 3.48%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Spokane, WA grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 109k employees to 112k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Spokane, WA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (12,497 people), Management Occupations (10,652 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (10,325 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Spokane, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

112k

2024 Value

± 2,783

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 3.48%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Spokane, WA grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 109k employees to 112k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Spokane, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (20,492 people), Retail Trade (13,856 people), and Educational Services (10,338 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Spokane, WA, though some of these residents may live in Spokane, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,223

Median earning men ± $1,553

$42,049

Median earning women ± $976

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($80,805), Information ($76,125), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($72,857).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($66,213), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,218), and Wholesale Trade ($53,496).

Education

The student population of Spokane, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 7,995 male students and 10,705 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Spokane, WA are White (3,477 and 70%), Hispanic or Latino (544 and 11%), Two or More Races (287 and 5.78%), and Unknown (283 and 5.7%).

The largest universities in Spokane, WA by number of degrees awarded are Gonzaga University (2,058 and 40.5%), Spokane Community College (1,747 and 34.4%), and Spokane Falls Community College (1,222 and 24.1%).

The most popular majors in Spokane, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (948 and 18.7%), Registered Nursing (351 and 6.91%), and General Business (325 and 6.4%).

The median tuition costs are $36,340 for private four year colleges, and $4,772 and $5,923 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Spokane, WA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 81.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 18,700 (42.8% men and 57.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 18,700 students enrolled in Spokane, WA, 42.8% men and 57.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 10,793 records, of which 58.5% were women and 41.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
948 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
97 degrees awarded
General Business
44 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Spokane, WA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 948 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Spokane, WA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Gonzaga University
2,058 degrees awarded
Spokane Community College
1,747 degrees awarded
Spokane Falls Community College
1,222 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Gonzaga University with 2,058 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,117 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Spokane, WA, which is 0.715 times less than the 2,962 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,477 degrees mean that there were 6.39 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 544 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($36,340) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,100) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,180) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Spokane, WA was $363,500 in 2024, which is 1.09 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $326,200 to $363,500, a 11.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Spokane, WA is 58.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Spokane, WA have an average commute time of 20.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Spokane, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$363,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,510

$57,325

Median Property Taxes

±$1,628

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Spokane, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Spokane, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

58.8%

Homeownership

2024

65.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 58.8% of the housing units in Spokane, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 58.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Spokane, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$70,064

Median Household Income

± $1,594

97.4k

Number of Households

± 2,537

In 2024, the median household income of the 97.4k households in Spokane, WA grew to $70,064 from the previous year's value of $65,745.

The following chart displays the households in Spokane, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Spokane, WA is from Washington.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (67.2%)
Worked At Home (15%)
Carpooled (9.23%)

In 2024, 67.2% of workers in Spokane, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15%) and those who carpooled to work (9.23%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Spokane, WA have a shorter commute time (20.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.51% of the workforce in Spokane, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Spokane, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Spokane, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Spokane, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Spokane, WA (31k out of 225k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Spokane, WA is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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