HomeWashingtonWhitman County
Whitman County, Washington: commercial real estate data.
Whitman County, Washington has a population of 47,003 across 2,159 square miles, up 0.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.38 bn in 2024, 873 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 54 7(a) approvals worth $11.1 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Whitman County
How many people live in Whitman County
- Population47,003
- Households18,721
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$55,406
- Median age26.4
- Median gross rent$1,049 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$359,600
- Home value to household income6.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher49.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree22.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over24,572
- Population under 187,439
- Share under 1815.8 percent
- Population 65 and over5,597
- Share 65 and over11.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6433,967
- Civilian labor force25,108
- Unemployment rate7.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.5 percent
- Rank by population among Washington counties24th of 39
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1059th
Whitman County is the 24th largest of 39 Washington counties by population. A median home costs 6.5 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 15.8 percent against 11.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Whitman County
Is Whitman County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.88 percent
- Census 2020 base population47,979
- Births, 2024400
- Deaths, 2024340
- Natural change, 202460
- Net domestic migration, 2024-169
- Net international migration, 2024602
- Total net migration, 2024433
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,305
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1522nd
The county has grown 0.88 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Whitman County
Where people moving to Whitman County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,790
- People arriving, from those returns2,730
- Adjusted gross income arriving$89.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$50,105
- Largest single originWhitman County Non-migrants (13,141 households)
- Largest single destination (13,141 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitman County Non-migrants | 13,141 | 25,841 | $1.12 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 695 | 1,117 | $39.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 390 | 650 | $20.1 m |
| Spokane County | 190 | 313 | $8.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 181 | 257 | $7.1 m |
| Latah County | 180 | 280 | $9.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 138 | 237 | $10.9 m |
| King County | 114 | 131 | $5.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Whitman County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Whitman County
What the Whitman County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.38 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.23 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.6 percent
- GDP change over five years23.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Washington counties21st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents909th
- GDP per resident$71,878
Output grew 4.6 percent in the latest year and 23.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Whitman County
Who employs people in Whitman County
- Covered employment, annual average19,125
- Establishments reporting1,243
- Average annual pay$64,512
- Average weekly wage$1,241
- Sector 31-33, employment2,923
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$88,155
- Sector 62, employment1,638
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,818
- Sector 72, employment1,532
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,912
- Sector 44-45, employment1,301
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,130
- Sector 54, employment632
- Sector 42, employment537
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,923 | 35 | $88,155 |
| Sector 62 | 1,638 | 100 | $51,818 |
| Sector 72 | 1,532 | 114 | $22,912 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,301 | 85 | $36,130 |
| Sector 54 | 632 | 116 | $92,121 |
| Sector 42 | 537 | 57 | $73,425 |
| Sector 23 | 493 | 96 | $63,152 |
| Sector 81 | 302 | 82 | $36,895 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,923 jobs, 15.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Whitman County
What businesses operate in Whitman County
- Establishments, all industries873
- Employment at those establishments11,417
- Annual payroll$640.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Whitman County
What is being built in Whitman County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202444
- Declared construction value permitted$13.3 m
- Single family units authorised40
- Multifamily units authorised4
- Multifamily share of units9.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$302,895
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.4
Multifamily is 9.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Whitman County
How much SBA lending happens in Whitman County
- 7(a) approvals recorded54
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$11.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$206,415
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$464,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)309
- Jobs per approval5.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active14
- Distinct industries receiving approvals34
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer13.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms7
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter45
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals1.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countWheat Farming (10)
- Most active lenderColumbia Bank (28)
- 504 approvals recorded12
- 504 gross approval dollars$14.0 m
- Average 504 approval$1,168,250
- Median 504 approval$378,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval9.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.9
- Most active CDCCapital Matrix, Inc. (5)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals81.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$25.2 m
The average approval of $206,415 sits well above the median of $50,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 13.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Whitman County
Do SBA loans in Whitman County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded16
- Paid in full15
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans6.3 percent
- Status: Paid in full15
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure28
- Status: Cancelled6
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 6.3 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Whitman County
Which parts of Whitman County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending14
- PULLMAN, approvals21
- COLFAX, approvals15
- LACROSSE, approvals2
- PALOUSE, approvals2
- SAINT JOHN, approvals2
- GARFIELD, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| PULLMAN | 21 | $9,569,100 |
| COLFAX | 15 | $730,700 |
| LACROSSE | 2 | $45,000 |
| PALOUSE | 2 | $100,000 |
| SAINT JOHN | 2 | $61,000 |
| GARFIELD | 2 | $85,000 |
| UNIONTOWN | 2 | $90,000 |
| ENDICOTT | 2 | $90,000 |
PULLMAN accounts for 21 approvals against 15 in COLFAX. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Whitman County
How big is Whitman County
- Land area2,159 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Washington counties10th of 39
- Width, east to west57.3 mi
- Height, north to south58.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land22
- Establishments per square mile0.40
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Whitman County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Whitman County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population47,003
- Households18,721
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$55,406
- Median age26.4
Common questions
Whitman County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Whitman County, Washington?
47,003, in 18,721 households, ranking 24th of 39 Washington counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Whitman County growing?
The population has grown 0.88 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 400 births against 340 deaths, with net migration of 433. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Whitman County?
$55,406. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $359,600, which is 6.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,049 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Whitman County?
873 establishments, employing 11,417 people with an annual payroll of $640.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Whitman County?
Average annual pay is $64,512, or $1,241 a week, across 19,125 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Whitman County?
54 7(a) approvals totalling $11.1 m since FY2020, across 14 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000, plus 12 504 approvals worth $14.0 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Whitman County get paid back?
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 15 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 6.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Whitman County?
44 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $13.3 m. Multifamily was 9.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Whitman County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Whitman County come from?
The largest single origin is Whitman County Non-migrants, with 13,141 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,105 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Whitman County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Whitman County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.