{"id":874,"date":"2024-05-15T17:58:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T17:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/?page_id=874"},"modified":"2024-05-15T17:58:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T17:58:08","slug":"may24_blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/may24_blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakima Valley Trends Blog – May 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know there are nearly 140 different community indicators on Yakima Valley Trends - each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?<\/p>

This issue of the Yakima Valley Trends blog lists some of the most recently updated indicators on the Yakima Valley 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<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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In PEOPLE<\/strong>:<\/p>

0.2.2 Total Single Parent Families with Children \u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Families headed by one parent face extra challenges, among them financial. Census estimated the number in the county to be over 6,300 in 2022, with most of them headed by females. This puts single parent families at nearly one fifth of all families in the county. This rate is less than the U.S. rate but greater than the Washington\u2019s. It has declined from 25% in 2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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

1.1.1 Total Market Value of Crops & Average Market Value per Farm\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

In the recently released <\/span><\/span>Census of Agriculture<\/span>, <\/span><\/span>the USDA estimated the market value of all crops in the county at <\/span>$2.27 billion<\/span> in 2022. The value per Yakima farm was <\/span>nearly $900,000<\/span>, far more than the <\/span>average <\/span>Washington state farm.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

In\u00a0ECONOMIC VITALITY<\/strong>:<\/p>

3.3.1 Total Civilian Labor Force & Labor Force Participation Rate of Population Ages 16+\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

As of the end of last year, the Yakima County labor force had not recovered from the pandemic<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>At 129,500, the number in the labor force was about 3,400 below the 2019 peak. Not surprisingly, the labor force participation rate, measured as the size of the labor force to the population 16 years or over, was also lower than the 2019 peak<\/span>:\u00a0 65<\/span>% vs. 72%. This is still higher than the state average, however.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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

4.1.2 Share of Entering Kindergarteners Meeting Standards of All 6 Domains of the WaKIDs Assessment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The <\/span>WaKIDS<\/span> assessment takes place in the fall for all children entering <\/span>publicly supported<\/span> kindergarten<\/span>s<\/span>. As a \u201cwhole child\u201d review of development to date, it measures \u201creadiness\u201d in six domains<\/span>:\u00a0 cognitive<\/span>, literacy, math, language, social\/emotion<\/span>al<\/span> and physical. <\/span>The most recent average for Yakima County revealed that about one third of all entering kindergartners were ready in all six domains. While <\/span>considerably less<\/span> than the state average (53%), the share is <\/span>somewhat higher<\/span> than in the fall of 2013 (30%).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

4.2.5 Extended Graduation Rate for Public High School English Language Learners (ELL) Students<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

English language learners face obstacles that native-born children typically do not. That is why Washington state schools have developed special curricula and protocols for <\/span>teaching<\/span> these students. One measure of success is the high school graduation rate, here measured as a 5-year rate for a cohort of entering 9<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span> graders. For the cohort graduating last June, the rate was 75%. This is about equal to the state average and much improved from the <\/span>County\u2019s <\/span>2013 <\/span>ELL <\/span>graduat<\/span>ing class<\/span>, when it was 58%.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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In\u00a0EDUCATION <\/strong>CONT.:<\/p>

4.3.1 Share of Students Meeting Math Standards as Measured by the Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA) <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The SBA is designed to test mastery of both math and English language skills. This indicator tracks the share of 4th and 10th grade students who meet standards of the math SBA. The graph makes clear that Yakima County public school students have not (yet) recovered from the setback of the pandemic. In school year 2022-23, 35% and 17% of 4th and 10th graders, respectively, met standards. This is far below the rates of school year 2018-19 and the Washington state averages.<\/p>

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

5.1.3 Annual Average of the 24-Hour PM 2.5 Concentration Levels <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

With fire season about to start, <\/span>let\u2019s<\/span> consider <\/span>a<\/span> standard measure <\/span>of air <\/span>quality, the concentration of small (2.5 micrometers or less) in a cubic meter of air. Since 2004, the annual average has risen from about 8 to 10. <\/span>While an increase of forest fires has undoubtedly play<\/span>ed a<\/span> role, so has <\/span>the presence of <\/span>airborne soil particles.<\/span> (Click on the legend entries to simplify the graph.)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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

7.1.1 Life Expectancy at Birth <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The number of years a newborn is expected to live if current mortality rates held through the person\u2019s lifetime is an \u201capex\u201d measure of public health. <\/span>Covid-19 dealt this measure a huge blow, with Yakima County expectancy plunging over three years between 2019 and 2020. Since then, it has <\/span>slightly <\/span>recovered. It still lags the U.S. estimate, unlike the pre-pandemic years. Yakima life expectancy has always been <\/span>considerably lower<\/span> than the Washington state average.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

7.2.2 Total Live Births by Females Ages 15-19 and Their Birth Rate <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Teen births in Yakima County have plunged since the start of the century. Then the County tallied over 750. Most recently, the count was a bit over 210. <\/span>The rates, whether for young teens (15-17) or older teens (18-19) have consequently plummeted as well.<\/span> They are, however, still considerably higher than the state and U.S. average<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>

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

8.2.3 Fair Market Rent (FMR) <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

FMR is a calculation by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development <\/span>(HUD) <\/span>used to <\/span>allocate<\/span> some of <\/span>its funds at the local level, especially section 8 vouchers. <\/span>It is supposed to reflect the \u201cmiddle\u201d of the range of local rents, here in monthly terms. For 2024, HUD has set $997 for one-bedroom rent and $1,310 for two-bedroom units as <\/span>the <\/span>FMR<\/span>s<\/span> for Yakima County. These are <\/span>considerably higher<\/span> than FRM values for Grant County but lower than those in Walla Walla.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

8.3.3 Housing Affordability Index for First-Time Homebuyers <\/strong><\/a><\/p>

For decades, t<\/span>he ability of renters to move to home ownership status has been part of the American dream. This indicator, calculated by the University of Washington Real Estate Research Center, addresses the current affordability of that step for Yakima residents. If the value <\/span>if<\/span> 100 or higher, the housing market for first-time buyers is <\/span>deemed<\/span> affordable; if below, not affordable. The most recent value is 55, down considerably from 2021, but still better than the state average.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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list updated 5.15.24\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/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 Yakima Valley 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

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New Intern Feature<\/h2><\/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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\"\"<\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Dorothy Bergland<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Hometown:<\/strong>\u00a0Spokane, WA<\/p>

Major:<\/strong>\u00a0Accounting<\/p>

Expected Graduation Date:\u00a0<\/strong>Spring 2025<\/p>

Post-graduation plans:<\/strong>
I plan to get my CPA and find work in Forensic Accounting.<\/p>

After a few months of working on the Trends project, my favorite thing so far:<\/strong>
As a lifelong Washingtonian, the Trends project has given me the opportunity to get to know my state better. It is very exciting to get to do this research for each county that they in turn will use to shape improved public policies.<\/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 nearly 140 different community indicators on Yakima Valley Trends – each updated throughout the year? But which ones, and when?This issue of the Yakima Valley… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":875,"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/874\/revisions\/875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yakimavalleytrends.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}