And which is better off? It depends on your point of view, of course! We’re obviously not mice, but there is a major city vs country thing going on here in Washington, and it’s got some interesting hooks into our Paychecks. Here are Five Fast Facts about the urban/rural divide in Washington state:
- 👪Population growth! Washington has seen some impressive population growth over the last decade (9.4% for rural, 14.7% for urban). This is one of the best growth rates in the nation - yay us!
- 🗳️Politics is local - Our political preferences have closely aligned with the urban/rural divide - urban areas are very Democrat and rural areas are very Republican! And you thought subconscious self-segregation on a mass scale wasn’t a thing…
- 🔮Looking to the future - Given that there’s a Democrat in the White House right now, it’s not really a surprise to see that people in rural areas feel MORE pessimistic (48% pessimistic) for the coming year compared to people in urban area (only 20% Debby-Downers.) Of course, with inflation, gas prices, food shortages, and many other issues pressing in on people every day, even the reddest rose colored glasses can seem dark.
- 💰Some good news! Per capita income has improved over the past two years for both urban and rural Washingtonians. Urban income increased 6.3% to $69k, and rural income increased 9.4% to $50k. Everyone is winning, though some are winning more than others.
- 🎓😟Other factors - Key Paycheck facts and figures: the poverty rate is higher for rural folks, 13.2% to only 9.4% in Urban areas, and college education is higher for urban folks (37.2% have college educations compared to only 25.7%. It’s impossible to say if these other factors are the cause of the income difference or the effect (maybe both), but either way it all fits together if you look at the big picture.
🔥Bottom line: Generally speaking, urban areas are doing a bit better overall but rural areas are catching up fast. Yes, there is a gap between urban and rural, and yes, the political angst of late is only making that worse. But, at the end of the day, we’re all Washingtonians, right? City people need food and products grown in the country, and country people need the goods and services found in the city. We have a lot more in common than we think.
How does the urban vs rural divide affect you?
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