Census data show growth and decline in local towns

The populations of Electric City, Grand Coulee, and Nespelem have gone down, while the populations of Coulee Dam and Elmer City have gone up. 

According to 2020 census data, the population of Electric City is 956, down from 968 in 2010. The count in Grand Coulee is 972, down from 988. And the number of people living in Nespelem stands at 180, down from 236.

The population of Elmer City, on the other hand, bumped up to 239 from 238; and the population of Coulee Dam rose to 1,211, up from 1,098.

That pegs the total residents within the proper boundaries of those five municipalities at 3,558, but that’s not the whole picture.

While further 2020 census information for the area, such as age and income demographics, and populations within Zip codes are not yet available, according to a U.S. Census Bureau public information officer, that data is available for 2019 from the American Community Survey,  which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and regularly collects much of the same type of data as the decennial censuses and uses it to generate annual estimates.

That information, broken down not just by city but by zip code, helps give a sense of the larger population of the community by including unincorporated neighborhoods such as Delano, Lakeview Terrace, North Shore Acres, Seatons Grove, and more.

According to that data, the 99116 Zip code, associated with Coulee Dam, has an estimated total population of 1,521 which is 310 more people than the 2020 census data show for just the town of Coulee Dam. 

The 99133 Zip code, including Grand Coulee, shows an estimated total population of 1,756, which is 784 more people than Grand Coulee’s 2020 census population, or 81% more.

In the Elmer City  Zip code, 99124, a total population of 271 is 32 more people than reported in the 2020 census.

Nespelem shows a strong contrast, with Zip code 99155 showing a population of 1,007, or 827 more people than the 2020 census shows for just the town.

The data doesn’t always seem to tell an accurate story, however, and we will have to wait for the further 2020 census data to become available to understand things better.

Electric City’s Zip code, 99123, shows a population of just 918 in the 2019 ACS data, while Electric City alone had a population of 968 in 2010, compared to 956 in 2020 according to the censuses from those years, and doesn’t seem to reflect the population growth south of Electric City where housing has been built over the years.

Altogether, the population of the towns of Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City show a combined population of 3,378 according to the 2020 censuses. 

But when the full populations of their four zip codes are included, that total increases by more than a quarter to 4,456 according to the 2019 ACS data.

This is comparable to the city of Chelan, which has a 2020 population of 4,222; or Omak with a population of 4,860; or Colville with a population of 4,917.

Adding Nespelem’s 99155 Zip code population to the total of the other four brings the area served by the Grand Coulee Dam School District to 5,473.

Most students in the Nespelem School District come to the Grand Coulee Dam School District for high school.

Altogether, between the five Zip code of 5,473 people, the estimated male population is 2,821 compared to 2,652 for females.

The area has an average median age of 47.82 years, with that average age getting older the further south you go.

Nespelem has a median age of 39.6, Coulee Dam and Elmer City both have a median age of 45.5, Grand Coulee’s median is 51.5 and Electric City’s is 57.