Yakima Valley Trends Blog

In PEOPLE:

The number of Yakima County households with an Internet connection continues to climb.

Census estimates that in 2024, the count of connections, mostly broadband and cellular, but also strictly cell, was over 83,600. That represents an increase of over 20,000 households from a decade ago. The penetration of Internet connections in the county, at 92%, is very similar to the U.S., although below the rate of 95% observed statewide. 

The number of foreign-born residents increased slightly in 2024 in Yakima County.

Census estimated the number to be slightly more than 47,000. That is barely higher than a decade ago and considerably below the peak in 2019, when these residents exceeded 50,000. The 2024 estimate puts the share of the foreign-born in the county at nearly 19%, far above the shares in the U.S. and state. The majority here, however, are not U.S. citizens. 

In ECONOMIC VITALITY:

Median household income (MHI) in Yakima County rose by nearly $6,000 in 2024 over the prior year.

This key measure of economic prosperity attempts to describe what a household located in the “middle” of the income distribution brought in. It is a better measure of the middle than the average, or mean. 

County MHI was estimated at $75,400 in 2024. It is now 92% of the U.S. median, rising sharply from 85% a decade ago. The comparison to the state is less favorable, currently at 76%. Still, in the past three years, county MHI has shown a strong annual growth rate, an average of over 7%.

In EDUCATION:

The share of Yakima County 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool jumped in 2024.

Early education has been shown to deliver economic and social benefits at least through high school and early adulthood. This Census measure includes various types of preschools. 

Census estimated the share to be 44%, the highest on record. Still the county share is below those of the state (47%) and the U.S. (49%). 

In ENVIRONMENT:

City of Yakima volume of water pumped & system leakage shows increasing conservation.

As everyone in the county now knows, access to water is increasingly vital. The Washington Department of Health tracks production and efficiency for water districts serving residential customers. The Trends offers an indicator for the city of Yakima. 

2024 represented the lowest volume of water pumped on record:  3,300 billion gallons. Similarly, the amount of water “lost” in the city’s distribution system was the lowest on record, at 7.4%. This rate is considerably lower than those of the Tri Cities and Walla Walla. 

In EQUITY, INCLUSION:

The number of Yakima County residents living at or below the federal poverty threshold climbed in 2024.

Federal poverty thresholds were first issued in 1965 at the outset of the War on Poverty and have climbed since then by annual increases in the CPI. They also vary by family size, but not by location. For example, for a family of four in 2024, the threshold was $31,200. Above that number, a family was deemed not to be in poverty.  

In 2024, Census estimated the number of residents living in poverty to be nearly 43,000. After hitting a trough in pandemic year 2021, this number is now the highest since 2017. As a rate, 2024 represented the highest year since 2019. In all years, the county rate has exceeded those of the U.S. and state.

In HEALTH:

The share of youth expressing hopelessness fell to its lowest level ever most recently.

Every two years, the Washington Department of Health undertakes a survey of health attributes of public-school students. The most recent year with data was 2023. 

That year, the Department found the lowest share in the history of the survey of students “feeling sad or hopeless” every day for two weeks or more. By grade level, 27%, 30% and 32% of 8th, 10th and 12th-graders, respectively, reported this condition. These shares are nearly 10 percentage points lower than in pandemic year 2021. And compared to state averages, they are quite comparable, in contrast to prior years where they registered higher than the state averages.

The share of the population without health insurance, by 3 age groups, is inching back up.

This indicator tracks the rate of the (healthcare) uninsured by 19–64-year-olds, youth, and the 65+ population. Due to Apple Health, the share of youth uninsured in the county and state is low. In 2024 it was estimated at nearly 6%. Due to Medicare, the share of older adults without insurance was 3%, up very slightly over the past decade. 

The share of adults (19-64 years) without insurance in 2024 was much higher, however, and rising. At nearly 22%, it represents a reversal of the low experienced in 2017, at 18%. 

In HOUSING:

Renting households in Yakama County paying 50% or more of their income on shelter costs shows recent but little long-term progress.

The U.S. Housing & Urban Development Administration has traditionally defined those households paying 30% or more their income on shelter costs as “housing burdened” and those spending 50% or more as “severely housing burdened.” This indicator considers the severely burdened for renters only. 

In 2024, about 6,400 renting households fell into this category. This represents a slight decrease from the prior two years, but an increase from a decade ago. But the current rate, at 17.5%, is lower than over the past decade. And it is considerably below the U.S. and state rates. 

In HEALTH:

The share of county residents with a healthcare provider has climbed but still lies below the state’s share.

Good health depends on many factors, not the least of which is the socio-economic background in which a person lives. But clinical care matters, too. If a resident has no provider that sees that person on a regular basis, health can be compromised. 

This indicator tracks the share of those residents who responded affirmatively to the question “Do you have one person (or more than one person) you think of as your personal doctor or health care provider?”  

For the most recent year with data (2022), 79% of county residents answered “yes.” That is the highest share on record. Still, the percentage is a bit lower than the average state affirmative response, about 83% for 2022. 

last updated 02.04.26