Census data

I. State and local

a. Using the online resource www.census.gov, answer the following questions:

1. What’s the population of Whitman County? 41,664
2. Percent white? 86.6%
3. Percent with bachelor’s degree? 44.0%
4. Median household income? $36,538
5. Persons below poverty? 26.7%



II. Drilling down into Census data: Housing


1. Find the annual construction costs for building permits for Pullman from 2004 to 2008. Report it for each individual year.
2008-$14,007,013
2007-$31,922,839
2006-$34,549,367
2005- $40,062,508
2004- $21,793,767

2. What’s the most current construction cost for 2009? (Obviously the annual report isn’t yet available so look for the most recent month.)
August 2009- $7,170,166


IV. Health Care in Whitman County
’

1. Which two counties have the highest percent of uninsured people?
San Juan County, Whitman County,

2. What’s the percentage in Whitman County? 29.2%


V. Population

Is Whitman County’s population growing? Let’s look at population trends.

1. Type “Whitman County population” into Google Uncle Sam. Which federal or state agency comes up first in the Google list?

2. Click on the first listing, which takes us to the Office of Financial Management’s profile of the county.

3. On the profile page, click on “Population, Change, Marriages and Divorce.”

a. What’s the total population change in Whitman County from 2000 to 2007, according to OFM?
1,960
b. What’s the natural increase?
1,324
c. Explain the difference between “total change” and “natural change.”
Natural change is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a year



5. Choose the second result, which should take you to Whitman County page.

6. Under General Information, click on “Whitman County Overview from the Choose Washington website.” (Should be Web site, right?)

7. Under “County Data,” click on Population.

a. Based on this projection, how many people will live in Whitman County in 2025?


Whitman County Agenda

1. The Web site www.whitmancounty.org provides the agendas and minutes for the meeting of the county’s commissioners. Navigate to the commissioners’ page.


2. Open the current agenda.

a. According to the agenda, what meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m.? Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee meeting.
3. Review the minutes from the Sept. 21, 2009, meeting. Find the H1N1 report.

a. How many confirmed cases in Whitman County? 4
b. How many doses of vaccine will be available in Washington state?
360
c. How many in Whitman County?
d. What is Dr. Moody’s suggestion on how to distribute?
Moody suggests
e. Write a lede based on this information.