Fast Facts

Population 2007  
*March 2008 BLS Estimates
Yakima County 234,200
City of Yakima 82,940

Labor Force 2007  
Civilian Labor Force 116,520
Employment 105,980
Unemployment 10,550
Unemployment Rate 9.1%

Employment Breakdown 2006 Average  
Production 17%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 13%
Clerical 11%
Managerial Prof. 21%
Technical Sales Support 25%
Services 13%

Wage Rates Entry Level/hr Experienced/hr
*www.workforceexplorer.com  
Bookkeeping  $11.92 $20.24
Truck Driver, Light $9.31 $16.16
Truck Driver, Heavy $13.33 $21.04
Metal / Plastic Worker $13.13 $29.89
Sales Rep, manufacturing $13.82 $37.73
Machinist $13.62 $22.60
Welder  $10.32 $21.47

Taxes  
Personal Income Tax None
Corporate Income Tax None
Sales Tax 8.2%
State B&O .5% of gross receipts (services 1.5%)
State Unemployment Compensation .47% - 5.4% ($30,500 ceiling base rate)

Infrastructure  
Airports Yakima Airport at McAlister Field
Highways Interstate 82, State Hwy 24, State Hwy 12
Rail BNSF  and CWR throughout the County
Trucking 25 firms

Utilities  
Power PacificCorp (Scottish Power), Benton REA
Natural Gas Cascade Natural Gas
Telecommunications Qwest Communications, Sprint, Embarq, G.E., Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Charter, Clearwire Wireless

Lifestyle  
Cost of Living Index (ACCRA) 100.3
Median Home Cost $163,000
Average Commute Time 14 minutes
Hospitals 4
City Parks 67
Golf Courses 8
Annual Precipitation 8"
Annual Snowfall 20"
Annual Days of Sunshine 300