COUNTY
Chelan County
Washington · 81,941 residents (2025 est.) · 2,921 sq mi
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Part of the Wenatchee metro area
Notable rankings
#144Most expensive homesof 3,139$490,100The short version
Chelan County is a county of 80,172 people in Washington. That puts it in the top 4% of US counties for household income. Density works out to 27 people per square mile. 13,556 more people live here than in 2000. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $490,100. Getting to work takes 20 minutes on average.
At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.4
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 88%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
80,172
+20%since 2000
from 66,616 in 2000
81,941 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
2,921 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202480K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(4,405)
5 to 96.1%(4,869)
10 to 147.1%(5,712)
15 to 196%(4,840)
20 to 245.6%(4,520)
25 to 3412.4%(9,945)
35 to 4412.8%(10,227)
45 to 5410.8%(8,639)
55 to 6412.8%(10,246)
65 to 7412.5%(10,053)
75 to 845.7%(4,598)
85 and over2.6%(2,118)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$82,381
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,316 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
53.5%
+27.6 ptssince 2009
from 26.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.5%
Construction8.5%
Wholesale trade7%
Finance & insurance5.6%
Retail trade5.3%
Other services4.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.6%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
Education & health services2%
Public administration2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$490,100
+88%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $143,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
5.9
+24%since 2009
from 4.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
81
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic77.4%(51,590)
Black0.2%(111)
Hispanic / Latino19.3%(12,831)
Asian0.7%(441)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic65%(52,097)
Black0.4%(333)
Hispanic / Latino29%(23,247)
Asian0.8%(661)
Other4.8%(3,834)
61
+22%since 2009
from 50 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
27
−16%since 2020
from 32 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican25.8%(20,701)
Central American0.6%(490)
South American0.6%(463)
Spaniard0.5%(370)
Guatemalan0.4%(293)
Argentine0.3%(228)
Dominican0.3%(201)
Salvadoran0.2%(153)
Venezuelan0.1%(89)
Puerto Rican0%(38)
Cuban0%(33)
Colombian0%(29)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Chinese0.2%(169)
Filipino0.2%(144)
Vietnamese0.1%(116)
Asian Indian0.1%(75)
Indonesian0.1%(66)
Korean0%(27)
Japanese0%(25)
Pakistani0%(12)
Cambodian0%(10)
Thai0%(7)
Ancestry
German15.5%(12,404)
English12.1%(9,675)
Irish8.3%(6,654)
American5.8%(4,614)
Norwegian4.2%(3,406)
Italian2.8%(2,221)
Scottish2.5%(2,040)
Swedish2.1%(1,664)
French1.9%(1,556)
Dutch1.8%(1,452)
Polish1.1%(897)
Welsh1.1%(882)
+ 35 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.7%(530)
Danish0.6%(520)
Russian0.6%(454)
British0.6%(444)
Czech0.5%(401)
Finnish0.5%(368)
Swiss0.4%(288)
French Canadian0.3%(274)
Ukrainian0.3%(264)
Portuguese0.3%(240)
Arab0.2%(192)
Greek0.2%(189)
Austrian0.2%(169)
Croatian0.2%(152)
Hungarian0.2%(134)
Canadian0.2%(131)
Subsaharan African0.1%(95)
Lithuanian0.1%(90)
Lebanese0.1%(83)
Armenian0.1%(60)
Jordanian0.1%(55)
Ethiopian0.1%(54)
Romanian0%(34)
Turkish0%(31)
Macedonian0%(29)
Australian0%(28)
Slovak0%(26)
Brazilian0%(21)
Slovene0%(19)
Belgian0%(13)
Syrian0%(11)
Latvian0%(10)
Serbian0%(9)
Egyptian0%(8)
Iranian0%(3)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
86.8%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 79.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 75.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.2%
+4.2 ptssince 2020
from 92.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.9%(10,094)
Married56.9%(18,556)
Widowed3.2%(1,043)
Divorced9%(2,932)
Women 15+
Never married25.4%(8,271)
Married52.9%(17,230)
Widowed7.9%(2,564)
Divorced13.8%(4,496)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 17.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
61.7%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 63.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
42.7%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 44.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.4%(616)
Gulf War (1990s)18.1%(722)
Vietnam era47.1%(1,877)
Korean War8.8%(352)
World War II1.6%(63)
Share of the 3,989 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper
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Compare Chelan County to nearby counties
CHELAN COUNTY VS
Douglas County
Income$80,363−2%
Home value$432,500−12%
Population46,473−43%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHELAN COUNTY VS
Kittitas County
Income$73,804−10%
Home value$497,400+1%
Population48,803−40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHELAN COUNTY VS
Snohomish County
Income$111,246+35%
Home value$696,000+42%
Population870,656+963%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHELAN COUNTY VS
King County
Income$124,746+51%
Home value$859,900+75%
Population2,344,939+2762%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Chelan County, Washington?
Chelan County, Washington has about 80,172 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Chelan County, Washington?
The typical household in Chelan County, Washington earns about $82,381 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Chelan County, Washington expensive?
In Chelan County, Washington, the median home is worth about $490,100, and the typical rent is about $1,226 a month.
How educated are people in Chelan County, Washington?
About 31.2% of adults age 25 and over in Chelan County, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Chelan County, Washington?
About 8.3% of people in Chelan County, Washington live below the federal poverty line.
Has Chelan County, Washington grown since 1990?
Yes, Chelan County, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 27,922 residents, a change of about 53 percent over that period.
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Explore from here
23 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 9611.02Census Tract 9608.04Census Tract 9605.02Census Tract 9612Census Tract 9604Census Tract 9613.04Census Tract 9602.01Census Tract 9613.03Census Tract 9606Census Tract 9611.01Census Tract 9607Census Tract 9608.03Census Tract 9610.02Census Tract 9605.01Census Tract 9608.01Census Tract 9603.02Census Tract 9610.01Census Tract 9601Census Tract 9603.01Census Tract 9603.0313 ZIP codes
ZIP 98801ZIP 98815ZIP 98816ZIP 98826ZIP 98831ZIP 98822ZIP 98828ZIP 98847ZIP 98821ZIP 98836ZIP 98817ZIP 98852ZIP 98811Up the hierarchy
All counties in WashingtonDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024