• Acres in Forest and Farm Land --- King County has maintained its forest and farmland with very little change in total acreages since 1995.  (view data graph)

• Acres of Urban Parks and Open Space --- Following a dip in the late 1990's, there has been an increase in urban parks and open space acreage per King County resident over the last 10 years.  (view data graph)

• Housing Affordability by City --- Homes prices have increased at a greater rate than incomes over the last two decades, making home ownership less affordable. However, rents have increased at a slower rate, generally in line with median household incomes.  (view data graph)

• Urbanization and Impervious Surface Changes --- The number of acres of urban land, clear-cut, and regenerating forest have increased in King County since 1986. Acres of grass and deciduous, mixed and coniferous forest have decreased. Acres of rural forests and privately owned working forests have declined in recent years  (view data graph)

• Percent of Households Paying More than 30% of Income for Housing --- The percent of King County households - both home owners and renters - spending more than 30% of their income on housing has increased over the last 25 years.  (view data graph)

• Housing AND Transportation Costs as a Percentage of Budget --- There is no on-going reporting for this indicator broken down for King County or the Central Puget Sound, though there are multiple data sources showing that the costs of transportation and housing are going up in the region. Recent hikes in gas prices indicate that these costs will continue to escalate.  (view data graph)

• Housing Affordability Gap --- The ratio of median income sales price to median household incomes has increased in all four Central Puget Sound counties from 1995 to 2007. (2) Median income levels generally have kept better pace with increases in average rents from 2000 to 2006. (1)  (view data graph)

There are currently no published Downstream Indicators.

As house prices go up, people will "drive till they qualify", that is, move away from urban centers until they reach a price range they can afford. House in rural areas tend to be cheaper because land is plentiful and regulations are usually much less onerous. The cost of providing the support infrastructure is passed on to the larger community.

• Responsible Land Use