American Community Survey (ACS)

Population and Housing Profile:  Spokane County, Washington

NOTES: The population estimates in this profile are limited to the household population and exclude the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters.  

In the narrative profile below, if one sample estimate is larger than another, it does not necessarily mean that the same holds for their true values for the entire population. These estimates are derived from a sample of housing units and measure the true values with a degree of uncertainty. In the tabular profiles this uncertainty is represented by the 90 percent confidence interval given for each estimate. For further information on confidence intervals see the Accuracy of the Data document.

Caution should be used when comparing data by race for years before 1999 with those for 2000 due to the Census Bureau's implementation of the October 1997 revised standards for data on race and ethnicity. For the 2000 data, respondents may report one or more races and there are seven (American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White, Some other race, and Two or more races) instead of five racial tabulation categories. The Two or more races category includes all respondents who reported more than one race. See the methodology section for more details regarding these changes.

In addition, caution should be used when comparing population numbers by age, race, and sex for 2000 with all earlier years. The numbers for 2000 have been weighted to be generally consistent with Census 2000 counts.

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. Percentages are based on unrounded numbers.

For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, go to the American Community Survey web site www.census.gov/acs/www/ and click on Advanced Methodology.

POPULATION OF Spokane County: In 2002, Spokane County had a household population of 412,000 - 213,000 (52 percent) females and 200,000 (48 percent) males. The median age was 36.1 years. Twenty-six percent of the population were under 18 years and 12 percent were 65 years and older.

For people reporting one race, 94 percent were White alone; 1 percent were Black or African American; 1 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2 percent were Asian; 1 percent were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 1 percent were Some other race. Three percent reported Two or more races. Three percent of the people in Spokane County were Hispanic. Ninety percent of the people in Spokane County were White non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: In 2002 there were 169,000 households in Spokane County. The average household size was 2.43 people.

Families made up 66 percent of the households in Spokane County that year. This figure includes both married-couple families (48 percent) and other families (18 percent). Nonfamily households made up 34 percent of all households in Spokane County. Most of the nonfamily households were people living alone, but some were comprised of people living in households in which no one was related to the householder.

NATIVITY AND LANGUAGE: Four percent of the people living in Spokane County in 2002 were foreign born. Ninety-six percent were native, including 55 percent who were born in Washington.

Among people at least five years old living in Spokane County in 2002, 5 percent spoke a language other than English at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 39 percent spoke Spanish and 61 percent spoke some other language; 46 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well."

GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY: In 2002, 81 percent of the people at least one year old living in Spokane County were living in the same residence one year earlier; 12 percent had moved during the past year from another residence in the same county, 3 percent from another county in the same state, 3 percent from another state, and less than 0.5 percent from abroad.

EDUCATION: In 2002, 87 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 25 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 4 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.

The total school enrollment in Spokane County was 114,000 in 2002. Preprimary school enrollment was 11,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 72,000 children. College enrollment was 31,000.

DISABILITY: In Spokane County, among people at least five years old in 2002, 19 percent reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 9 percent of people 5 to 20 years old, to 16 percent of people 21 to 64 years old, and to 49 percent of those 65 and older.

INDUSTRIES: In 2002, for the employed population 16 years and older, the leading industries in Spokane County were Educational, health, and social services, 22 percent, and Retail trade, 17 percent.

OCCUPATIONS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYER: Among the most common occupations were: Sales and office occupations, 32 percent; Management, professional, and related occupations, 32 percent; Service occupations, 18 percent; Production, transportation, and material moving occupations, 11 percent; and Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations, 7 percent. Seventy-eight percent of the people employed were Private wage and salary workers; 15 percent were Federal, state, or local government workers; and 7 percent were Self-employed.

TRAVEL TO WORK: Eighty-three percent of Spokane County workers drove to work alone in 2002, 9 percent carpooled, 1 percent took public transportation, and 4 percent used other means. The remaining 3 percent worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20 minutes to get to work.

INCOME: The median income of households in Spokane County was $39,884. Eighty percent of the households received earnings and 15 percent received retirement income other than Social Security. Twenty-four percent of the households received Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $12,945. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

POVERTY AND PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS: In 2002, 14 percent of people were in poverty. Seventeen percent of related children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 7 percent of people 65 years old and over. Twelve percent of all families and 37 percent of families with a female householder and no husband present had incomes below the poverty level. Nineteen percent of the households in Spokane County received means-tested public assistance or noncash benefits. 

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS: In 2002, Spokane County had a total of 179,000 housing units, 5.4 percent of which were vacant. Of the total housing units, 66 percent were in single-unit structures, 25 percent were in multi-unit structures, and 9 percent were mobile homes. Eighteen percent of the housing units were built since 1990.

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: In 2002, Spokane County had 169,000 occupied housing units - 111,000 (65 percent) owner occupied and 59,000 (35 percent) renter occupied. Three percent of the households did not have telephone service and 7 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi-vehicle households were not rare. Thirty-nine percent had two vehicles and another 23 percent had three or more.

HOUSING COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for (specified) mortgaged owners was $1,049, (specified) nonmortgaged owners $326, and (specified) renters $590. Thirty-three percent of owners with mortgages, 10 percent of owners without mortgages, and 56 percent of renters in Spokane County spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.