Regional Community Vulnerability Profile May 2020 1. OVERVIEW During disasters, populations with higher levels of vulnerability are more likely to be impacted. Understanding a community’s demographic and socioeconomic profile can help emergency managers better prepare for and respond to hazard events by identifying areas with higher vulnerabilities and higher rates of access and functional needs. Examples of using this information include identifying areas with marginalized and underserved population groups in the region; identifying areas in need of emergency shelters and resources; understanding the disproportionate impacts a community may be faced with; identifying communities that will need continued support to recover after an emergency or natural disaster; and helping allocate emergency preparedness funding based on community need. This analysis can also deepen the understanding of health and social inequities in the community. It can help address equity implications that may arise during an emergency or disaster to better serve the needs of those most marginalized. This profile provides an overview of the regional community vulnerabilities for the 19 counties and four Tribes that make up the Washington State Regional Emergency Disaster Healthcare Coalition (REDi HCC). It utilizes five-year estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014-2018 American Community Survey. The profile focuses on at-risk populations and vulnerability indicators. Data is provided for the Eastern Washington region, with county specific data at the end of the document. A list of additional resources is also included. Social Vulnerability Indicators To help identify vulnerable populations and at- risk individuals, the Center for Disease Control developed the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The SVI can help emergency managers better prepare for and respond to emergency events and hazards by identifying areas with higher vulnerabilities and higher rates of access and functional needs. The Social Vulnerability Index uses following indicators to track vulnerability from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS), listed in Figure 1. The SVI provides an overall ranking for each census tract that can be aggregated at the county level to provide a comprehensive assessment. Percentile ranking values range Figure 1. Social Vulnerability Index Indicators 1 from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater vulnerability. See Figure 2 for overall vulnerability rankings for Eastern Washington by county. SVI Outputs for Eastern Washington Counties: • Adams County has the highest social vulnerability ranking in the region with a rating of 1, which is reserved for the most vulnerable. When looking at the rankings by social vulnerability theme, Adams County received the highest ranking available in socioeconomic status, minority status and language, and housing and transportation. • Okanogan, Yakima, and Ferry Counties all have ratings over 0.9. • Garfield County has the lowest social vulnerability with an overall ranking of 0.0263. • Spokane County, the most populated county in the region, has a moderate vulnerability ranking at 0.39. • The average vulnerability index rating for Eastern Washington is 0.5872. Figure 2. 2018 Social Vulnerability Index Overall Ranking for Eastern Washington, by County Garfield 0.0263 Lincoln 0.1316 Kittitas 0.2368 Columbia 0.2632 Asotin 0.3684 Stevens 0.3947 Spokane 0.4474 Whitman 0.5 Benton 0.5263 Pend Oreille 0.5526 Walla Walla 0.6842 Douglas 0.7105 Chelan 0.7368 Grant 0.8421 Franklin 0.8947 Ferry 0.9211 Yakima 0.9474 Okanogan 0.9737 Adams 1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 2 2. GEOGRAPHY The Regional Emergency Disaster Healthcare Coalition (REDi HCC) covers the 19 counties and four tribal areas in eastern Washington. With over 1.5 million residents across 40,000 square miles, the REDi HCC counties make up 21% of Washington’s total population and 60% of the land area. The region spans from the Canadian border in the north to the Columbia River in the south, and is bordered by the Cascade mountains to the west and Idaho to the east. Major geographic areas include the Okanogan Highlands, Kettle Range, and Rocky Mountains in the north; Blue Mountains in the southeast where Washington borders Oregon and Idaho; the Columbia Basin lies in the center; and the region also contains the Snake and Columbia Rivers, along with numerous tributaries. Eastern Washington experiences a diverse climate due to its location east of the Cascade Mountain range. The region receives little rainfall due to the rain shadow created by the Cascade Mountains that casts a shadow of dryness east of the mountains. Annual precipitation can range from a low of 7–9 inches in the dry areas near the junction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers in the Columbia Basin, to a high of 75–90 inches of precipitation in the more mountainous areas. Generally, lower elevations are both hotter and drier than higher elevations. Average seasonal temperatures can range from lows of 20s in the winter up to high 90s in the summer. 3. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS From 2010 to 2018, the population in Eastern Washington grew by 9% from 1.43 million to 1.56 million residents. Spokane County is the most populated in the region with close to 500,000 residents; Garfield is the least populated in the region and the state at just over 2,200 residents. Franklin County had the most population change at 27%, followed by Benton County at 16%. Garfield and Lincoln County both decreased in population by 1%. Spokane County has the highest population per square mile in Eastern Washington at 261.5 people per square mile. Seven counties have lower than 10 people per square mile. On average, the region has an older population than the rest of the state, with 18% of the population 65 years and over. Nine of the 19 counties have a higher percentage of older residents than the rest of the region. The median age for the region is 39.3 years compared to 37.6 years at the state. Adams County has the largest percentage of young residents in the region and the state at 35.2% of the population; Columbia County has the largest percentage of elderly residents at 27.3%. Pend Oreille County has the highest median age in the region at 50.6 years old, while Whitman County has the youngest median age in the region and the state at 24.6 years. Table 1. Population and Age Eastern Washington Washington 2018 Population Estimates 1,562,766 7,294,336 2010 Population Estimates 1,430,502 6,561,297 2010-2018 % Population Change 9% 11% Land Area by Square Mile 39,947.43 66,455.52 Population Per Square Mile 35.8 98.7 % Population under 18 years old 23.6% 22.4% % Population 65 Years and Over 18% 14.7% % Population 85 Years and Over 2% 1.8% Median Age 39.3 37.6 3 4 Race and Ethnicity The population of Eastern Washington is made up of thirty percent people of color1, which is equal to the state total. American Indian and Alaska Native are the largest identified diverse racial group in the region at 3.6 percent, followed by Asian at three percent; close to nine percent of the population identifies as Some Other Race, though data does not specify this further. Ferry County has the largest percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native population in the region and state at 13.5 percent. Eight percent of the population in Whitman County identifies as Asian—with 55 percent of the Asian population identifying as Chinese. Based on ethnicity, 23 percent of the population in Eastern Washington is of Hispanic or Latino origin, an increase of 16 percent since 2010. Of the Hispanic or Latino population in the region, 92 percent identifies as Mexican. Adams County has the highest percentage of Hispanic or Latino residents in the region and the state at 63 percent. Table 2. Race and Ethnicity for People of Color Eastern Washington Washington Race % Black or African American 2.4% 3.7% % American Indian and Alaska Native 3.6% 1.3% % Asian 3% 8.3% % Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.6% 0.7% % Some Other Race 8.9% 4.3% % Two or More Races 4.1% 5.7% Ethnicity % Hispanic or Latino - 2018 23% 12.5% % Hispanic or Latino - 2010 20% 11% Hispanic or Latino - 2010-2018 % Change 16% 32% Foreign Born and Language The population of Eastern Washington is eleven Figure 3. World Region of Birth of Foreign percent foreign-born, with seventy percent Born in Eastern Washington originally born in Latin America. Adams County has the highest percentage of foreign born Europe Northern 10% population at 25 percent, with 95 percent America Asia originally born in Latin America. Chelan, Douglas, 4% 13% Franklin, Grant, Okanogan, and Yakima counties also have over 80% of the foreign born population Africa 2% from Latin America. Oceania Of the population 5 years and over in Eastern Latin 1% Washington, 21 percent speaks a language other America than English at home and eight percent speak 70% English less than well. In Adams County, more than half the population speak another language at home, which is nearly three times the state total. 1 People of color is calculated by Total Population – Not Hispanic or Latino, White Alone 5 Close to half speak another language in Franklin County. Of these residents in Adams and Franklin counties, more than a quarter speak English less than well. Table 3. Foreign Born and Language Eastern Washington Washington % Foreign Born Population 11% 14% % 5 Years and over who speak a language other 21.1% 19.4% than English % 5 Years and over who speaks English 8.1% 7.6% “less than well” Income, Poverty, and Education The average median household income for the REDi HCC region is $52,675.