County population dropped by 2,400 people in 2020

COLFAX — Whitman County had the largest population drop in Washington in 2020.

The 5% decrease includes Washington State University (WSU) students who stayed home and people displaced by the Malden fire.

Pullman saw a population drop of 7% in the year of online learning.

Pullman’s population dropped 2.400 people from last year, as of April 1 it was 32,450, according to the Washington Office of Financial Management.

Population drops occurred in other university towns such as Bellingham, Cheney, and Ellensburg.

For Whitman County, the population of Malden decreased from 200 people to 125 after the Labor Day fire.