The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Kittitas County is a county of Washington with 47,172 residents. Its economy produced $2,641 million in 2024 (ranked #23 of 39 counties) and had 16,775 jobs with an average annual pay of $54,172 (#30 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Ellensburg, WA micropolitan area (central county).
Kittitas County produced about $2,641 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.3% of the combined output of the 39 counties of Washington that BEA reports (about 0.6% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 23rd of 39 on that measure. Per resident that is $55,991, 49% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $109,519. In current dollars output grew 3.9% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 16,775 jobs located in Kittitas County on average in 2024, spread over 1,424 employer sites (about 12 jobs per site). That is 0.36 jobs for every resident, close to the 0.35 of the typical county in Washington, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $54,172, 42% below the average of all counties in the state ($54,172 against $94,174). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs did not change 0.0% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (23.7% of private jobs, $31,269 a year on average), retail trade (17.1% of private jobs, $36,340 a year on average), health care and social assistance (13.2% of private jobs, $47,659 a year on average). Together they hold 54.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is construction at $73,252 a year, followed by wholesale trade ($71,647). The county is specialised in several industries: arts, entertainment, recreation (2.2 times the US share, 618 jobs); accommodation and food services (1.7 times the US share, 2,541 jobs); construction (1.6 times the US share, 1,378 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($31,269), retail trade ($36,340), arts, entertainment, recreation ($32,067). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Kittitas County was 3.7%, 14% below the average of the state's counties (3.7% against 4.3%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 22,251. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.7% (2026M09) to 5.9% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $73,804 (ACS 2020–2024), 25% below the state median ($73,804 against $98,141). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Ellensburg. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Kittitas County in output are Whitman County, Douglas County, Mason County, Okanogan County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 39 counties of Washington ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 47,172 | 23 of 39 |
| GDP 2024 | $2,641 million | 23 of 39 |
| GDP per resident | $55,991 | 25 of 39 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 16,775 | 23 of 39 |
| Average annual pay | $54,172 | 30 of 39 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.0% | 28 of 39 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.7% | 22 of 39 |
| Median household income | $73,804 | 22 of 39 |
Federal jobs in Washington (1,197) →All cities of WashingtonState guide: Washington
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Kittitas County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellensburg | 20,874 | $55,438 | $1,340 | $404,100 | 41.4% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 2,541 | 23.7% | $31,269 | 1.67 |
| Retail trade | 1,831 | 17.1% | $36,340 | 1.09 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,414 | 13.2% | $47,659 | 0.59 |
| Construction | 1,378 | 12.9% | $73,252 | 1.56 |
| Manufacturing | 636 | 5.9% | $55,555 | 0.46 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 618 | 5.8% | $32,067 | 2.19 |
| Wholesale trade | 548 | 5.1% | $71,647 | 0.83 |
| Administrative and waste services | 458 | 4.3% | $44,997 | 0.46 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 364 | 3.4% | $41,797 | 0.72 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 222 | 2.1% | $62,594 | 0.31 |
| Information | 175 | 1.6% | $71,428 | 0.56 |
| Finance and insurance | 164 | 1.5% | $75,183 | 0.24 |
| Real estate and rental | 154 | 1.4% | $43,453 | 0.59 |
| Educational services | 139 | 1.3% | $42,542 | 0.40 |
| Utilities | 57 | 0.5% | $134,900 | 0.89 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 22,251 |
| Employed residents | 21,420 |
| Unemployed residents | 831 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 16,775 |
| Employer sites | 1,424 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King County | 2,287,171 | $477,154 million | $208,622 | 1,449,785 | $132,279 | 4.8% |
| Pierce County | 930,319 | $64,941 million | $69,805 | 333,492 | $70,395 | 5.1% |
| Snohomish County | 844,430 | $61,970 million | $73,387 | 297,617 | $79,940 | 4.9% |
| Spokane County | 549,056 | $40,044 million | $72,933 | 243,161 | $65,488 | 3.2% |
| Clark County | 516,959 | $33,425 million | $64,656 | 181,713 | $72,700 | 3.6% |
| Thurston County | 299,067 | $21,563 million | $72,102 | 128,824 | $72,043 | 3.4% |
| Kitsap County | 277,881 | $18,349 million | $66,032 | 93,571 | $71,579 | 3.5% |
| Yakima County | 257,152 | $13,348 million | $51,908 | 116,547 | $52,108 | 4.0% |
| Whatcom County | 230,503 | $20,640 million | $89,542 | 93,430 | $65,174 | 3.5% |
| Benton County | 212,905 | $16,919 million | $79,468 | 98,668 | $70,807 | 3.5% |
| Skagit County | 131,328 | $9,574 million | $72,903 | 53,884 | $65,374 | 3.7% |
| Cowlitz County | 112,360 | $7,231 million | $64,353 | 41,235 | $67,600 | 4.0% |
| Grant County | 101,799 | $8,583 million | $84,311 | 43,158 | $63,558 | 4.0% |
| Franklin County | 98,902 | $5,777 million | $58,415 | 37,554 | $57,266 | 3.7% |
| Island County | 86,836 | $4,664 million | $53,714 | 18,271 | $58,929 | 3.4% |
| Lewis County | 85,154 | $5,122 million | $60,154 | 27,148 | $58,706 | 4.3% |
| Chelan County | 80,172 | $7,132 million | $88,957 | 44,962 | $57,540 | 3.1% |
| Clallam County | 77,813 | $3,825 million | $49,155 | 24,680 | $55,860 | 3.4% |
| Grays Harbor County | 77,053 | $3,829 million | $49,698 | 23,816 | $56,803 | 4.3% |
| Mason County | 67,982 | $2,458 million | $36,156 | 14,840 | $57,899 | 4.2% |
| Walla Walla County | 62,161 | $4,583 million | $73,726 | 29,090 | $55,812 | 3.2% |
| Stevens County | 48,067 | $1,754 million | $36,496 | 11,512 | $53,211 | 3.8% |
| Kittitas County | 47,172 | $2,641 million | $55,991 | 16,775 | $54,172 | 3.7% |
| Whitman County | 47,003 | $3,378 million | $71,878 | 19,125 | $64,512 | 3.4% |
| Douglas County | 44,366 | $2,850 million | $64,232 | 12,545 | $51,441 | 3.5% |
| Okanogan County | 43,425 | $2,353 million | $54,178 | 17,034 | $48,554 | 3.4% |
| Jefferson County | 33,577 | $1,866 million | $55,570 | 9,107 | $58,601 | 3.5% |
| Pacific County | 23,994 | $1,033 million | $43,071 | 6,498 | $50,311 | 4.6% |
| Klickitat County | 23,411 | $2,329 million | $99,488 | 7,194 | $64,979 | 3.5% |
| Asotin County | 22,467 | $985 million | $43,834 | 6,817 | $54,510 | 2.4% |
| Adams County | 20,800 | $1,443 million | $69,368 | 9,436 | $52,291 | 3.4% |
| San Juan County | 18,478 | $1,233 million | $66,750 | 6,097 | $53,170 | 2.7% |
| Pend Oreille County | 14,050 | $768 million | $54,642 | 3,194 | $63,126 | 4.1% |
| Skamania County | 12,402 | $432 million | $34,866 | 2,197 | $55,276 | 3.6% |
| Lincoln County | 11,489 | $685 million | $59,631 | 2,662 | $54,315 | 4.0% |
| Ferry County | 7,387 | $279 million | $37,712 | 1,713 | $52,738 | 5.5% |
| Wahkiakum County | 4,658 | $133 million | $28,502 | 726 | $45,092 | 5.6% |
| Columbia County | 4,014 | $498 million | $124,091 | 1,495 | $67,059 | 3.2% |
| Garfield County | 2,353 | $221 million | $93,771 | 652 | $60,868 | 3.1% |
47,172 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$2,641 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
16,775 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $54,172 (BLS QCEW).