Census shows county moving toward Pullman

The center of Whitman County’s population continued its move to Pullman, according to the recently-released data from the 2010 U.S. Census.

The county’s largest city now contains two-thirds of Whitman County’s residents. Pullman’s population increased 20.8 percent since the 2000 census, increasing from 24,675 to 29,799.

In 2000, Pullman accounted for 60.6 percent of the county’s population.

Pullman’s 5,124 gain in population contrasted with a net loss of 998 for the other 15 incorporated towns and the rural areas of the county.

The 2000 census showed Whitman County had 16,065 people living outside Pullman. In the 2010 census, that number dropped to 15,067.

Pullman’s growth reflected a coincidental increase in enrollment at Washington State University. The county’s largest employer upped its undergraduate enrollment 15 percent in the past decade, from 15,864 in 2000 to 18,232 in 2010.

Populations of Whitman County’s other 15 towns decreased 6.1 percent from 8,680 in 2000 to 8,159 in 2010.

Whitman County overall gained 4,036 people in the past decade, rising 9.9 percent from 40,740 in 2000 to 44,776 in 2010.

In the 2000 census, 33,355 Whitman County residents resided within the limits of a town. In the 2010 census, that number jumped to 37,868.

Unincorporated Whitman County’s population fell 6.5 percent from 7,385 in 2000 to 6,908 in 2010.

Pullman’s growth also appears to have impacted towns nearest to the county’s population center.

Colton’s population increased 8.3 percent between 2000 and 2010, jumping from 386 people to 418. Oakesdale was the only other town in Whitman County to gain population, moving from 420 in 2000 to 422 in 2010.

While Colfax and Palouse lost population, their decrease was significantly less steep than in smaller towns.

Colfax lost 39 residents, down 1.4 percent, while the Palouse population dropped 1.3 percent with 13 fewer residents.

Whitman County’s border towns saw the biggest drops in population.

Lamont fell 30 percent from 106 to 70. The population of LaCrosse fell 17.6 percent from 380 to 313. Rosalia dropped 15.1 percent from 648 to 550. Uniontown’s population went down 14.8 percent from 345 to 294.