Spokane has been named one of the top 15 fastest-growing cities in Washington state, according to an analysis published in June by consumer advocacy company NerdWallet Inc., of San Francisco. 

Spokane ranked 15th on the list, and it wasn’t the only Eastern Washington city to crack the top 20. Richland, ranked first of the 53 cities in the survey. Moses Lake came in third, Pullman in fifth, Pasco 11th, and Kennewick 16th.

Farther down on the list, Spokane Valley ranked 46th, Wenatchee 24th, Yakima 26th, and Walla Walla 30th. Bellingham was the highest-ranked West Side city, coming in second. Seattle came in 22nd. 

Maggie Clark, the NerdWallet analyst who did the study, says that Washington state population growth projections predict that Spokane’s population will be over 575,000 people in the next 15 years. 

“The population projections for Spokane are actually pretty big,” she says. “For the metropolitan statistical area, the state projects it’ll be over 575,095 by 2030, so it’s definitely a quickly growing place.”

To arrive at her fastest-growing ranking of cities, Clark analyzed working-age population, employment, and income growth data from 53 cities, towns, and census areas around the state with a population of 20,000 or higher, she says. 

“We chose those (criteria) because they’re basic measurements of economic growth,” Clark says. “We’ve done this study now in five states, and we find that it’s a good way for consumers to look at their city and see how they’re doing in comparison to their neighbors. It can also be a catalyst to start local conversations about why the city is experiencing that kind of growth.”

The population data used was for those of working age, 16 or older, from 2009 to 2012. Employment growth was determined by the difference in the percentage of employed residents from 2009 to 2012, and income growth by the difference in median income for workers from 2009 to 2012. Clark says NerdWallet doesn’t compare cities to each other, only to their own growth. 

“This study measures growth and what happens is we don’t set a baseline for communities, we just care about how much they grow in this particular time,” she says. 

According to the study, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data ranked Washington state’s per capita income 13th in the nation in 2013, with income growth from 2012-2013 the eighth highest in the country. 

Founded in 2009, NerdWallet is a data-driven consumer advocacy website. It uses analysis to compare different organizations and options for a user, such as choosing a credit card, shopping, investing, comparing health care plans, and finding scholarships, to help users make decisions about what products or services to buy.