The population in the Palouse Basin is concentrated in several towns and cities, including those of Pullman, Palouse,
Colfax, and Albion in Whitman County, Washington, and the communities of Moscow, Viola, and Potlatch in Latah County, Idaho (see Table 1;
all recent statistics reported here are based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates and projections).
In addition to these population centers, rural residents also reside in those parts of rural Latah County and Whitman County that lie
within the Basin.
Population Characteristics
Table 1. Populations of Latah County, ID, Whitman County, WA, and communities in them, with population sizes,
changes in them between 2000 and 2006, and proportions in terms of several ethnic categories.
County/Community
Population (2006)
Population Change (2000-2006)
Age (median)
White (%)
Hispanic (%)
Asian (%)
Latah County
35,029
0.3%
28
94.1
2.7
2.5
Whitman County
39,838
-2.2%
25
87.4
3.4
7.2
Moscow
22,356
5.0%
24
91.0
2.5
1.7
Potlatch
722
-8.7%
36
96.5
1.4
Pullman
25,357
2.8%
22
81.3
3.9
5.1
Colfax
2,694
-5.3%
41
93.5
1.5
Palouse
917
-9.3%
38
95.3
1.7
As Table 1 shows, the population in Whitman County has been declining, with decreases in the populations of its towns and cities,
with the exception of Pullman. In contrast, the population in Latah County has been increasing, although there too the growth has
occurred in the larger city of Moscow, while the population in the town of Potlatch has decreased.
Population increases in the cities of Pullman and Moscow are due to the following factors:
the growth of these communities as trade centers for the surrounding areas and towns
the influx of retirees from outside the region who are moving here from more populated and congested areas such as western
Washington and southern California
the growth in the enrollment of the universities located in these two cities, Washington State University in Pullman and the
University of Idaho in Moscow
According to Fall 2007 figures, the number of Washington State University students comprises the vast majority of Pullman's
population (approximately 74%); only about 6,500 people living in Pullman are full-time residents. In contrast, about half of
the population of Moscow can be attributed to University of Idaho students; about 11,000 people living in Moscow are full-time residents.
Additional Population Statistics
Below are some additional population statistics from the most recent Comprehensive Plans for the cities of Moscow and Pullman.
(These plans are currently being revised and updated; while these figures have changed, they suggest factors that should be considered
when modeling population growth in the Basin's communities and rural areas.)
The city of Moscow is the county seat and principal population center for Latah County. According to the 1990 census,
Moscow had a population of 18,519 persons. This figure accounted for 60 percent of Latah County's 1990 population of 30,617.
In 1980, Moscow's population of 16,513 persons constituted 57.4 percent of the county's population of 28,749.
Between 1980 and 1990, the city's population increased by 2,000 persons, or 12 percent. During the same period, the rest of
Latah County experienced a 6.5 percent increase in population, and the state grew by 6.6 percent, according to the 1990 census.
The importance of the University of Idaho (UI) relative to Moscow's population is quite sizable. For the fall semester
of 1993, student enrollment was 10,018, according to the UI Registrar's Office. Additionally, in 1990 the university employed
1,787 faculty/staff members at the Moscow campus.
Growth of Washington State University (WSU) also has a major influence on the population growth of Moscow as well. Although
there is not a large number of WSU students who live in Moscow and commute to Pullman, 20 percent of WSU employees lived in
Idaho in 1991. Of the WSU employees who live in Idaho, 77 percent live in Moscow. Therefore, as WSU grows, an increase in
Moscow's population can be anticipated.
The city's 1998 population was estimated at 25,070. This number represents an increase of 6.8 percent over the 1990 U.S.
census count of 23,478.
The city estimates that, in 1998, the number of WSU students living in Pullman was 14,500 (comprising 58 percent of the total
population). Of course, during semester breaks and throughout the summer months, the student population in town decreases markedly.
Due to the large contingent of university students in the community, Pullman's population is quite young when compared to other
cities. About two-thirds of the city's population is 24 years old or younger. Approximately five percent of the population is
65 years of age or older. Through the 1990's, efforts have been made to retain more retirees in Pullman through the provision of
appropriate housing and services.
1990 census figures show that per capita income in Pullman was $9,375 and median household income was $17,886. For the state
of Washington as a whole, per capita income was $14,923 and median household income was $31,183. The income figures for Pullman
are lower than those for the state primarily because of the substantial student population here.
The racial composition of the city's population reflects a largely homogenous, white population, which comprises approximately
88 percent of the total population. The largest non-white racial group is Asian/Pacific Islander, at 8.5 percent of total population.
Blacks represent 1.9 percent of the population, while less than one percent are listed as Native American. Persons of Hispanic
origin, regardless of race, comprise 2.3 percent of the population.
Trends in population growth indicate that the Idaho portion of the Basin has increased much more than on the Washington side:
growth in the population of Latah County as a whole has totaled 66 percent between 1960 and 2005 (from about 21,000 to 35,000),
for an annual rate of 1.47 percent, while the population of Whitman County has only increased 29 percent during that period
(from about 31,000 to 40,000). Changes in population of the larger cities indicates a slowing of growth in the city of Moscow
in recent years: its population increased from 11,183 in 1960 to 21,900 in 2004, an annual increase of 2.4 percent; however,
that growth has slowed in recent years, to 0.7 percent each year between 2000 and 2004.
Socio-Cultural Characteristics
The vast majority of the residents of the Basin are "white," although the two universities bring some slight ethnic diversity to
the area, including people of Asian and Asian American ethnicity, and African and African American ethnicity, as well as other
minority ethnic groups that are less represented in the American West but that are growing in numbers.
The presence of the universities in the Basin's two largest cities also results in lower average ages and annual incomes given
the resulting concentrations of university students (with their younger ages and lower incomes) in them.
The median age of 24 years in Moscow differs from the state of Idaho as a whole (35.3 years); a similar situation occurs
in Pullman (median age of 22 years, compared to 33.2 years for the state as a whole).
As the City of Moscow's most recent Comprehensive Plan (City of Moscow 1999) notes:
The educational level of the population of Moscow is, as would be expected, among the highest in the state. In 1990, 92.3
percent of the population 25 years of age or older were graduates of high school or higher educational establishments, compared
to 79.7 percent at the state level; 78 percent had one to three years of college, compared to 49.3 percent at the state level;
and 48.5 percent had four or more years of college, compared to 17.7 percent at the state level.
The median income of families, households, and persons in group quarters in Moscow [can be] compared to the state as a
whole in 1990. While families in Moscow had a higher median income than in the state as a whole, households and persons in
group quarters had lower median incomes than in the state. [This] suggests that the highly educated non-students in the
population are earning higher than average incomes, while the student population tends to lower the overall median income
per person within the city; the student status of a high percentage of the population causes a high proportion of lower
income households and individuals.
Poverty statistics also confirm this general finding. According to the 1990 census, 12.4 percent of Moscow families
were below the poverty level as compared to 9.7 percent of the families for the entire state. In contrast, 50.8 percent
of the persons in group quarters in Moscow were below the poverty level, while the state figure for such persons was 29.3 percent.
Contact Us: water@uidaho.edu, Water Resources Office 208-885-9694, Morrill Hall, Room 214, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3002, www.water.uidaho.edu
City of Moscow 1999 Comprehensive Plan