Moses Lake ranks as "City on the Rise"

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake is among the top 10 'Cities on the Rise' in Washington thanks to a surge in population and income levels in the area during the past few years.

Consumer advocacy site, NerdWallet, recently ranked 53 cities in the state based on population, employment and income growth from 2009 to 2012 in order to find out which cities are on the rise. Moses Lake ranked third - coming in after Richland and Bellingham and before Bremerton and Pullman.

Mountlake Terrace, Issaquah, Redmond, Renton and Sammamish were also among the top 10 cities.

According to the study, Moses Lake's working-age population increased by 10.4 percent between 2009 and 2012 and its median income rise by 15.7 percent over the same years. Employment levels decreased by 2.7 percent.

By comparison, Richland experienced a 9.9 percent population and 14.3 income growth between the years. Employment decreased by 0.3 percent.

Bellingham had a 3.2 percent population growth and 25 percent income growth, while experiencing an employment decrease of 3.9 percent between 2009 and 2012.

Each of the measures - population, employment and income growth - made up 33.3 percent of the overall score for each city. Data came from the 2009 and 2012 U.S. Census American Community Survey.

NerdWallet evaluated the 53 cities, towns and census-designated places in Washington with more than 20,000 residents for the study. Marysville was the exception however, and was excluded from the top 10 ranking for inconsistent municipal boundaries between the years.

NerdWallet analyst Jaime Ortiz said the Washington study is part of a state-by-state "Cities on the Rise" series. The company is currently doing similar studies across the country to highlight the fastest growing cities in each state.

NerdWallet's rankings are probably most useful for people who are considering relocating, she said.

"The reality is, a lot of what makes a place attractive is what future opportunities there are," Ortiz said. "So this I think accurately highlights where some of those places might be."

She said a lot of "Fastest Growing" lists only look at population growth, whereas NerdWallet's list factors in income and employment growth.

"What we wanted to do was go a step further because while population is a strong indicator of health in a local economy, we also wanted to make sure there were employment opportunities and that incomes were growing," Ortiz said. "It ultimately gives a more wholesome picture

because sometimes when you look at population growth there could be a lot of things going on."

Re-drawn municipal boundaries and a surge in births are examples of factors that could skew population growth numbers, she said.

"Given this was a primarily economic look, we wanted to incorporate other economic elements into the study," said Ortiz.

The study also highlights cities in the state that people might not be familiar with.

"Most people will know the big cities in Washington, but they won't really get a complete pictures as to which cities are rising," said

Ortiz.

"What's nice about this study is it highlights places most outsiders wouldn't have the opportunity to know about."

In the study, Moses Lake's growth was partly attributed to the availability of hydroelectric power because of its location in the Columbia River Basin.

"This power source has fueled industrial growth in the area, and it was a key factor in BMW's decision to build a carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake to produce panels for the company's i3 electric car," read the report. "Manufacturing companies now provide most of the jobs in the area and more companies, like Aviation Technical Services, which expanded to Moses Lake last year, are moving to the city."