Pullman, WA

Micro Area Profile

47,003 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Pullman, WA micropolitan area.

57out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 49% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity548th of 835 metro and micro areas measured43
SchoolsTop 2% of 695 metro and micro areas measured91
Growth669th of 834 metro and micro areas measured31
Housing affordability773rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured49
Climate445th of 835 metro and micro areas measured65
Physical resilienceTop 35% of 835 metro and micro areas measured66
Access543rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured70
Economic stability423rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured51
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.0% and median household income $55,406, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 59% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 2% of published profiles for schools.

35 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 6% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
47,003
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$55,406
Bottom 15% nationally
Density
22/sq mi
2,159.3 sq mi of land
Median age
26.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Washington
Nearest major airport
GEG
49 mi · Spokane Intl
Median home value
$359,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.0%, lower than in 56% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 1.2% over the past year, to 18,270 employed residents.

50% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 97% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Median household income of $55,406 is lower than in 85% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$4,1822024 ACS 5-Year$55,406Bottom 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,0342024 ACS 5-Year$34,326Bottom 41%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year11.3%Top 36%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year18.0 minTop 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year49.8%Top 3%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year62.8%3rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202618,270Bottom 21%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−5.6%Bottom 6%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.2%Bottom 39%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202619,04020th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year79.3%Top 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year3.1%97th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.9%Top 13%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.0%Top 44%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year10.3%65th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.22.8
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.0% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

59% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 76% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.4 students for every full-time teacher across 26 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
27
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.4
across 26 of them
Math proficiency
59.3%
Top 1% in Washington
Reading proficiency
75.8%
Top 1% in Washington
The 12 largest of 27 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Pullman High SchoolPullman School District83819.552%87%
Lincoln Middle SchoolPullman School District64320.767%75%
Jefferson ElementaryPullman School District33513.454%67%
Sunnyside ElementaryPullman School District32616.370%72%
Kamiak ElementaryPullman School District31513.1——
Franklin ElementaryPullman School District27415.267%77%
Leonard M Jennings ElementaryColfax School District27015.982%87%
Colfax High SchoolColfax School District26316.457%77%
Colton SchoolColton School District16611.152%67%
Rosalia Elementary & Secondary SchoolRosalia School District16310.952%67%
Tekoa High SchoolTekoa School District11512.825%55%
Palouse ElementaryPalouse School District10011.165%75%

39.8% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Washington’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,691 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.75% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,169, some 11% above the $1,049 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,169 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,800 a year, about 84% of the median household income here of $55,406.

The typical renter household here spends 40% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,049 a month.

A median home at $359,600 costs 3.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $106,090, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
40.2%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,169
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,049
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$359,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Pullman’s median household income of $55,406, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year3.4Bottom 24%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year46.8%1st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±552024 ACS 5-Year22,09133rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$891Top 49%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,626Bottom 34%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,169Bottom 43%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$342024 ACS 5-Year$1,049Bottom 38%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$15,3782024 ACS 5-Year$359,60084th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1422024 ACS 5-Year$2,69171st percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$6,5402024 ACS 5-Year$106,090Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.75%44th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year40.2%Bottom 1%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±772024 ACS 5-Year17913th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%21st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year14.4%93rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±4732024 ACS 5-Year3,37037th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

31/ 100
Ranks 669 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 48,399 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 35 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

At 0.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
35
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.7
Bottom 13% nationally
Year over year
+6%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202448k43k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 3 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 28°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 17.5 inches.

20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PULLMAN MOSCOW RGNL AP, 23.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND2.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals17.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals28°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals41991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals35°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

66 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 70% of it.

LandslideModerate
WildfireModerate
Cold waveModerate
Heat waveElevated
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeModerate
HailModerate

Low or minimal exposure: avalanche, ice storm, winter weather, drought, strong wind, tornado, lightning, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Spokane Intl at 49 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year85.4%Bottom 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle49 miBottom 39%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 16%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year4.8%Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Spokane IntlGEG49 mi8,199 ft
Grant County IntlMWH87 mi13,503 ft
Missoula MontanaMSO163 mi9,501 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
57
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

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