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STATE · ADMITTED 1889 · 1990 CENSUS

Washington

4,866,692 residents · 39 counties · 639 cities · 66,456 sq mi · 1,784 census tracts
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The short version

With 4,866,692 people, Washington is a state. There are 1,027,429 fewer people here than in 2000. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $31,183, close to the national figure. Median home value sits at $93,200.

WA
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
4,866,692
−17%vs 2000
vs 5,894,121 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Median age
33.1
−6%vs 2000
vs 35.3 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
66,456 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
4.6M5.5M6.3M7.2M8.1M19902000201020202024Washington
20247.8M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.5%(364,813)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 97.6%(370,980)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.9%(336,976)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 196.6%(321,669)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.1%(345,864)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3417.7%(861,441)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4416.5%(804,413)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5410.4%(504,238)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 647.8%(380,725)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 747%(338,710)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 843.7%(181,710)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.1%(55,153)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$31,183
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $45,776 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$14,923
−35%vs 2000
vs $22,973 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
10.9%
+0.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 10.6% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$93,200
−23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $158,800 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$445
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $663 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
62.6%
−2.0 ptsvs 2000
vs 64.6% in 2000
37.4% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic78.9%(4,652,490)
Black3.1%(184,631)
Hispanic / Latino7.5%(441,509)
Asian5.4%(319,401)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic88.6%(4,313,601)
Black3%(147,364)
Hispanic / Latino4.2%(206,018)
Asian4.3%(211,292)
Other4%(194,435)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Mexican10.8%(846,993)
South American0.6%(49,927)
Puerto Rican0.5%(42,821)
Spaniard0.4%(31,035)
Salvadoran0.4%(30,113)
Guatemalan0.3%(23,275)
Colombian0.2%(15,340)
Honduran0.2%(12,962)
Cuban0.2%(12,924)
Peruvian0.1%(10,022)
Venezuelan0.1%(7,319)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(5,930)
Dominican0.1%(5,413)
Panamanian0.1%(4,984)
Nicaraguan0.1%(4,563)
Ecuadorian0.1%(4,371)
Argentine0.1%(4,288)
Costa Rican0%(3,100)
Bolivian0%(1,480)
Uruguayan0%(618)
Paraguayan0%(338)
Asian origin
Chinese2.2%(168,787)
Asian Indian2%(159,551)
Filipino1.5%(116,375)
Vietnamese1.1%(87,562)
Korean0.9%(72,269)
Japanese0.4%(34,145)
Cambodian0.3%(21,394)
Taiwanese0.2%(13,488)
Thai0.1%(9,078)
Pakistani0.1%(8,414)
Laotian0.1%(6,864)
Kazakh0.1%(6,724)
+ 13 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0.1%(4,518)
Hmong0.1%(4,221)
Indonesian0%(3,908)
Nepalese0%(3,587)
Mongolian0%(2,015)
Mien0%(1,504)
Sri Lankan0%(1,452)
Bangladeshi0%(1,426)
Malaysian0%(1,069)
Bhutanese0%(244)
Uzbek0%(183)
Okinawan0%(134)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.4%(31,839)
Samoan0.3%(25,129)
Chamorro0.2%(18,604)
Marshallese0.1%(6,168)
Fijian0.1%(3,981)
Tongan0%(2,947)
Chuukese0%(2,009)
Guamanian0%(1,666)
Ancestry
German14.5%(1,131,135)
English12.1%(945,501)
Irish9.8%(765,987)
Norwegian4%(312,371)
American3.8%(294,578)
Italian3.2%(248,854)
Scottish2.6%(206,644)
Swedish2.5%(194,353)
French2.3%(183,177)
Polish1.5%(119,703)
Dutch1.5%(114,906)
Subsaharan African1.4%(112,519)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1%(75,639)
Scotch-Irish1%(75,219)
Ukrainian0.9%(67,796)
Welsh0.8%(61,927)
Danish0.7%(58,308)
British0.7%(51,000)
Finnish0.6%(45,143)
Arab0.5%(40,373)
French Canadian0.5%(38,275)
Swiss0.4%(31,431)
Ethiopian0.4%(27,892)
Czech0.3%(26,642)
Portuguese0.3%(25,607)
Canadian0.3%(24,588)
Greek0.3%(24,205)
Romanian0.3%(20,364)
Hungarian0.3%(20,221)
West Indian0.2%(17,763)
Austrian0.2%(16,601)
Iranian0.2%(15,351)
Croatian0.2%(14,150)
Somali0.2%(13,896)
Lithuanian0.1%(10,739)
Kenyan0.1%(9,873)
Turkish0.1%(9,488)
Nigerian0.1%(9,437)
Brazilian0.1%(9,099)
Lebanese0.1%(8,771)
Armenian0.1%(7,479)
Jamaican0.1%(7,412)
Belgian0.1%(7,262)
Iraqi0.1%(6,327)
Slovak0.1%(6,272)
Egyptian0.1%(5,619)
Bulgarian0.1%(5,256)
Australian0.1%(4,523)
Latvian0%(3,487)
Syrian0%(3,169)
Haitian0%(3,126)
Slovene0%(2,980)
Jordanian0%(2,893)
Serbian0%(2,804)
Israeli0%(2,573)
Palestinian0%(2,502)
Moroccan0%(2,324)
Ghanaian0%(2,050)
Macedonian0%(793)
Guyanese0%(482)
Barbadian0%(250)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
22.9%
−4.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 27.7% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
83.8%
−3.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 87.1% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
7.0%
−2.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 9.3% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.5 min
+28%vs 2000
vs 17.5 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married36.1%(1,166,292)
Married52.3%(1,687,455)
Widowed2.2%(70,890)
Divorced9.4%(302,482)
Women 15+
Never married29.1%(932,549)
Married51%(1,637,206)
Widowed7%(224,341)
Divorced12.9%(413,261)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
6.3%
−7.5 ptssince 2013
from 13.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 58.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 13.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 16.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 20.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 71.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 35.2% 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)28.9%(136,692)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26%(122,867)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.8%(155,040)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.7%(17,461)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(3,787)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 473,124 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
Section 02

Largest cities

See all cities in Washington →
1.Seattle784,777
2.Spokane230,783
3.Tacoma229,816
4.Vancouver199,698
5.Bellevue154,193
6.Kent134,871
7.Everett113,567
9.Renton104,975
10.Federal Way99,729
11.Yakima97,458
12.Kirkland97,410
13.Bellingham96,395
14.Kennewick88,366
15.Auburn86,301
16.Pasco82,848
17.Redmond82,506
18.Marysville77,686
19.South Hill68,025
20.Shoreline66,542
21.Sammamish66,110
22.Richland65,258
23.Lakewood62,755
24.Lacey58,833
25.Olympia56,724
26.Bothell52,199
27.Burien51,859
28.Bremerton45,482
29.Edmonds42,748
30.Puyallup42,682
31.Lynnwood42,132
32.Lake Stevens42,091
33.Issaquah39,423
34.Parkland38,742
35.Longview38,362
36.Wenatchee35,547
38.Mount Vernon35,193
39.Graham35,079
40.SeaTac34,578
41.Walla Walla34,058
42.Spanaway34,019
43.Pullman33,756
44.Des Moines33,032
45.Orchards29,438
Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (11)
1.Seattle4,161,883
2.Spokane608,012
3.Kennewick324,334
4.Lacey304,261
5.Bremerton283,374
6.Yakima259,185
7.Bellingham236,392
8.Mount Vernon132,975
9.Wenatchee128,414
10.Longview114,885
11.Walla Walla62,361
Micropolitan areas (10)
1.Moses Lake105,727
2.Centralia88,062
3.Oak Harbor85,657
4.Port Angeles78,202
5.Aberdeen78,144
6.Shelton71,165
7.Ellensburg48,803
8.Pullman48,512
10.Othello21,488

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

Frequently asked

How many people live in Washington?

Washington has about 4,866,692 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Washington?

The typical household in Washington earns about $31,183 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Washington expensive?

In Washington, the median home is worth about $93,200, and the typical rent is about $445 a month.

How educated are people in Washington?

About 22.9% of adults age 25 and over in Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Washington?

About 10.9% of people in Washington live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Washington (1990): demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy