Every other year, the City of Issaquah conducts a community survey to assess how residents view the city’s various services and overall performance. The survey is just one of the ways that we gather your feedback and hear your perspectives on what it is like to live, work, and play here in Issaquah. Resident responses provide valuable information that guides that strategic direction of our Administration and City Council, as well as the work plans and day-to-day work of our city staff.
“I am grateful”, says Mayor Pauly,” that I live in a community that cares. It takes time out of someone’s day to provide this really important feedback to the city. And we need to hear from residents, so we can continue to plan to improve our services here in Issaquah.”
Notable Results
The survey provided a wealth of information related to the lived experience and community priorities here in Issaquah. Notably:
- 97% of respondents rated Issaquah as an excellent or good place to live. 94% rated Issaquah as an excellent or good place to raise children. This rating is on par with previous years’ surveys and far exceeds the national average.
- Residents are much more satisfied with our city services than the national average. In particular, satisfaction with customer service from city employees was 31% above the national average.
- We also saw notable increases over our 2021 survey results in how the community feels about our efforts in engaging diverse communities (+6%), efforts to promote equity in the community (+6%) and opportunities to attend arts, music and cultural activities (+10%).
Opportunities and Focus Areas
Through your responses, we have gathered helpful information on areas to continue focusing on.
Traffic flow and congestion
Traffic flow and congestion on Issaquah streets continues to be a key concern for many residents. Satisfaction with traffic flow was 15% points below the national average and 20% points below the Northwest region average. Ease of travel by public transportation and traffic calming were key areas of improvement.
Public Safety
While residents are confident in the quality of our police protection and the rapid response to emergency situations, feeling of safety is trending away from our target and will remain a core focus. We are happy to share that our police department has hired XX new staff members so far in 2023, increasing the presence of our patrol force across the city.
Infrastructure
While residents are fairly satisfied with the quality of streets, sidewalks and infrastructure (69% are satisfied or very satisfied), nearly 30% of respondents ranked this area as a top priority for city leaders over the next two years.
What Comes Next?
City leadership and staff will be further reviewing the survey results to guide mid-biennial adjustments to work plans. The City Council has asked the Administration to engage the community further in focus group conversations in the coming weeks and month to learn more specifics related to some ratings. To explore the survey further, visit our Community Survey page to find the full report, an interactive dashboard and more resources.