National Community Survey

2023 NCS FlyerWhat is this Survey?

Every two years since 2005, Pasco City conducts a survey with help from the National Research Center (NRC) in Colorado. This survey helps shape the City Council's goals and provides a benchmark for how Pasco's responses compare to other cities across the nation.

What's it About?

The survey looks at how "livable" Pasco is – that means how much people like living here and if it's a desirable place to live. It covers ten key areas: 

  • Economy
  • Mobility
  • Community Design
  • Utilities
  • Safety
  • Natural Environment
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Health and Wellness
  • Education, Arts and Culture
  • Inclusivity & Engagement 

2023 Survey

In November 2023, mailing of statistically valid surveys were delivered to selected sample area homes. The online public survey is open now until December 31 at https://polco.us/pascowa23.

2021 Survey

The NRC was again contracted in the latter part of 2021 to conduct the survey for the City. The survey results were compiled, formatted, and analyzed in early 2022. The 2021 survey targeted 3,700 randomly selected households with a hybrid collection strategy, traditional mailed, and online-only options. Of the selected households, 346 responses were received for a 10% response rate.

Highlights of the survey include:

Quality of Life: More people (69% up from 61% in 2019) think life in Pasco is getting better.

City Governance: There's a decrease in satisfaction with the value of city services for taxes paid and how the city involves residents in decision-making.

Economy: People think the city's economy is important. While more people are happy with job opportunities now than in 2019, there's less satisfaction with the variety of businesses and the downtown area.

Mobility: Satisfaction with traffic, parking, and biking has gone down since 2019.

Community Design: Less people are happy with the layout of residential and commercial areas compared to 2019. Affordable housing and good city planning are areas of concern.

Utilities: More people are satisfied with utility billing, but there's a drop in satisfaction with the overall quality of utilities, especially drinking water.

Safety: Feeling safe in public areas, especially downtown, has decreased. There's also less satisfaction with crime prevention and emergency services compared to 2019.

Natural Environment: Half of the respondents are happy with the natural environment in Pasco.

Parks and Recreation: There's a significant drop in satisfaction with parks and recreational opportunities since 2019.

Health and Wellness: Ratings in this area are stable.

Inclusivity and Engagement: There's a decrease in feelings of community diversity and opportunities for social events and volunteering since 2019.


For more information on the survey, contact the City Manager’s Office at (509) 545-3404.

Tips for Reading the Reports

  • How are the Results Shown?
    • Percent Positive: We mostly use "percent positive" to show the results. This means we add together the two best responses, like "excellent/good" or "very safe/somewhat safe."
    • Don't Know Responses: Some people answered "don't know" to survey questions. These answers are shown in the full data but aren't included in most of the charts and tables.
    • What the Tables and Graphs Show: The tables and graphs only show responses from people who had a clear opinion about something.
  • Comparing Pasco to Other Places
    • NRC's Database: We compare Pasco's results with data from over 600 communities. These communities have done similar surveys.
    • Types of Comparisons: We tell if Pasco's results are "higher," "lower," or "similar" to other places.
    • "Higher" or "Lower" means Pasco's average score is at least 10 points different from others.
    • "Much Higher" or "Much Lower" means the difference is more than 20 points.
    • Considering COVID-19 Impact: The survey happened during COVID-19, which was tough for local governments. Remember, some comparisons use data from before the pandemic.
  • Looking at Trends Over Time
    • Why Trends Matter: Trends show how things have changed in Pasco and can help us understand the impact of local policies and programs.
    • Significant Changes: If the difference between 2 consecutive surveys is more than 9 percentage points, it's a big deal and worth noting. Fore example, consecutive surveys would be comparing the 2019 and 2021 since the survey only happens every other year. 

National Community Survey Documents

  1. 2021 National Community Survey
  2. NCS Community Livability Report Pasco 2020
  3. The NCS Community Livability Report Pasco 2018 (PDF)
  4. 2015 Pasco National Citizens Survey (All documents)
  5. Resident FAQ.pdf