City of Washougal survey shows community satisfaction

The city of Washougal’s 2026 Community Survey shows residents continue to rate Washougal highly as a place to live while also providing clear direction on where city leaders should focus future investments and resources.

Conducted every two years since 2014, the survey provides data-driven feedback that helps guide city budgeting, strategic planning and service priorities. It also helps identify where investments are working, where additional resources may be needed and what issues matter most to residents, according to a news release.

“This statistically valid survey gives us reliable feedback directly from residents and helps ensure city decisions are guided by data and community priorities,” Community Services and Strategy Director Joe Walsh said in the news release. “Resident participation is essential because the results directly influence budgeting, strategic planning and service priorities. This year’s survey shows Washougal is on the right track, with most residents highly satisfied with City services, while also helping us identify areas where we need to focus future improvements.”

The 2026 survey found Washougal outperformed regional and national benchmarks in 26 of 37 service areas. Satisfaction with overall quality of city services ranked 18 percentage points above the national average, while customer service from city employees ranked 36 percentage points above the national average.

Top-performing service areas included 89 percent satisfaction with fire and emergency services, 82 percent satisfaction with police services and 74 percent satisfaction with customer service provided by city employees.

The survey showed improvement in several areas that residents identified as concerns in previous years. Compared to 2024, satisfaction increased in 31 of 50 categories, including gains in traffic law enforcement, crime prevention efforts, economic development and parking enforcement.

“Those year-over-year improvements reflect targeted investments and actions taken in response to resident feedback, including fully staffing the Washougal Police Department, expanding economic development initiatives, and increasing parking management efforts downtown,” according to the news release.

The top overall priorities for improvement include maintenance of city streets, economic development and water utilities. The survey also identified emerging concerns around parks maintenance and athletic field conditions, which city staff and city councilors will evaluate as part of future planning and budget discussions, according to the news release.

The city partnered with ETC Institute to administer the DirectionFinder Community Survey earlier this year. A five-page survey was mailed to a random sample of 3,000 Washougal households. Residents were given the option to complete the survey by mail, online or by phone. A total of 507 completed surveys were returned, resulting in a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.

The full survey results are available at cityofwashougal.us/communitysurvey.