• Editor’s note: As a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report was released last week ranking Washington the best state in the nation, USA Today ranked Yelm the worst city in the state the exact same day as Mayor Foster ranked the State of the City as “Good.”

“Washington is the best state in the nation”

“The American rankings and analysis website factored in health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment to create its annual list of the best and worst U.S. states.

“With a GDP of $524.323 billion, Washington came out on top. The state’s economy is largely boosted by the aerospace industry and the military and defense sector, which “employs the second-largest number of people in Washington,” according to the report. Read more

“These are the worst cities to live in, state by state”

Washington: Yelm
• Population: 8,425
• Median home value: $220,100 (state: $286,800)
• Poverty rate: 13.4% (state: 12.2%)
• Violent crimes per 100,000 people: 258 (state: 304)

“Though residents of Yelm, Washington, are far less likely to live below the poverty line or be the victim of a violent crime than those in most cities on this list, other conditions in the city detract from quality of life. For example, property crime – a broad category that includes burglary and motor vehicle theft – is relatively common in Yelm. The city’s property crime rate of 5,750 incidents per 100,000 in 2017 was nearly the highest of any city in the state and well above the U.S property crime rate of 2,362 per 100,000.

“Unlike most cities on this list that are growing relatively slowly or losing residents in recent years, Yelm is growing rapidly. Over the last five years, the number of people living in the city increased by a staggering 24.6%. Over the same period, the U.S. population expanded by just 3.8%.” By Samuel Stebbins, USA Today. Read more

• Editor’s note: Yelm’s population has more than doubled since 2005, when the population was 4.492, a 100+% increase.