Firm releases demographics report

At last Thursday's Port of Whitman meeting, Debbie Snell, Port properties and development manager, relayed a report on demographics for 2018 which was presented at the annual Palouse Commercial Real Estate conference in Moscow.

Their market review for 2018 depicted demographics for the Palouse area by surveying 4,154 units.

In Whitman County, 2.4 percent of housing units are vacant, according to the review.

The average rent for all units in Whitman County was $928, according to the market review. In Pullman, rental rates were $688 for one bedroom and $842 for two bedrooms.

“You keep thinking every year [contractors] say they're building 800 units,” Port Commissioner Tom Kammerzell said. “They have still not caught up with the demand over there.”

Pullman has a population of 33,623 people, as of 2018, with the median age of 23.5.

The market review showed that the median household income for Pullman residents in 2018 was $29,667, and the average household size was 2.19.

The organization also collected data on businesses in the Pullman area. There were 759 total businesses in Pullman with 14,098 total employees, as of 2018 data.

The review found that 4.9 percent of Pullman office spaces were vacant and 9.4 percent of Pullman retail spaces were vacant.

Commercial lease rates varied from $12,000 to $22,000 per year depending on square footage and location. New construction lease rates were $21,000 to $26,000 per year.