Washington Population 2024

7,841,283

Washington State is situated in the far northwestern corner of the United States, and with a land mass of 71,299 square miles, it is the 18th largest state in the US in terms of surface area.

The US Census Bureau 2015 estimate shows Washington's population has reached 7,170,351, up from 6.72 million recorded during the 2010 census. Washington is currently enjoying a healthy growth rate of 1.27%, which ranks 8th in the country.

In order to gauge any current population within Washington State, it is necessary to refer back to the last nationwide census which was carried out in 2010. At that stage, it was confirmed that there were 6,724,540 people in the state, and that represented an increase of just over 14% on the numbers declared in 2000.

Washington State Area and Population Density

Current estimates now show a population of 7.17 million in the state of Washington, and rapid growth is expected to continue. This population places Washington as the 13th most populous state in the country, but only 25th in terms of population density. Within its total area of 71,299 square miles, there is an average of 101.2 people for every square mile of Washington State territory.

Seattle is the largest city in the state with a population of 684,451, with a density of 7,962 people per square mile. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area has a population of 3.73 million, however, and encompasses nearby cities like Kent, Tacoma, Bellevue and Everett. It accounts for more than half of the state's population. The most populated counties in Washington State are King and Pierce counties with respective populations of 2,188,649 and 876,764

Washington State Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age across the state of Washington is 37.6 years of age. In terms of the ratio of females to males, 50.1% of the population is female and 49.9% male.

In terms of preferred religions among the residents of the state, 61% of the population is affiliated with a Christian based faith, 6% are affiliated with non-Christian faiths, and 32% are not affiliated with any faith in particular.

Washington State Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

After a period when Great Britain also claimed it, Washington was definitively acquired in 1846 and was included in Oregon Territory, established in 1848. Washington became a separate territory in 1853, acquired essentially its present boundaries in 1863, and was admitted as a State on November 11, 1889.

The 1850 population is that of Clark and Lewis Counties, Oregon Territory; census coverage extended only to the southwestern part of present-day Washington. In 1860 census coverage included nearly the whole present State, and some persons in present-day northern Idaho and northwestern Montana.

Washington Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Washington was:

  • White: 71.74%
  • Asian: 8.96%
  • Two or more races: 8.61%
  • Other race: 4.97%
  • Black or African American: 3.85%
  • Native American: 1.19%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.67%

Washington State Population History

Like many areas in the far western United States, Washington State began life with a very small population and back in 1850, the population was recorded at 1,201. Ten years later, however, that had increased significantly by nearly 900% to 11,594 and it sparked a population explosion within the state to the extent that by the end of the 1800s, the population had grown to 518,103.

The Census of 1910 revealed that the Washington State population had exceeded one million for the very first time and the pattern throughout the 1900s was one of continued substantial growth.

Washington State Population Growth

Growth has continuously progressed through the present day where the population of Washington State in 2016 has surpassed 7 million. The overall picture in the state is clearly one of sustained growth and there is really nothing to indicate that this factor will change at all for the foreseeable future.

Population Projections for Washington State

Looking at percentage increases for the last few censuses, it is safe to assume that the population of Washington State will be well on its way to another major milestone through 2020, when the population is estimated to surpass 7.5 million.

According to current projections, Washington's population will reach 8.9 million by 2040, with migration contributing 59% of this increase, while the remaining 41% will be contributed by natural increases (or the number of births minus the number of deaths). While 14% of Washington's total population is now over the age of 65, this percentage will climb to 21% by 2040, which will have serious impacts on planning and policy-making for the state as a whole.

Washington has a fairly large Hispanic and Latino population of 12.4%, which may belong to any race. Despite a small overall percentage of the population, the black population of Washington is mostly in the Central District and South End regions of Seattle and Tacoma.

American Indians, meanwhile, live on Indian reservations and jurisdictory lands including Muckleshoot Indian Reservation and the Yakima Indian Reservation. Westernmost and Pacific coast regions of the state have large American Indian communities as well.

Asian American and Pacific Islanders are concentrated in the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. Tacoma itself has one of the largest Cambodian American communities in the country, and Washington as a whole has the largest percentage of Pacific Islander people of any mainland US state except Utah.

Washington Growth Rate

Washington Population Rank

Washington Population 2024

  • Tumwater was the first settlement in the state of Washington. It was settled in 1846 and was named New Market.
  • Over 10% of the state's population is foreign-born, and over 1% of the population is comprised of illegal immigrants.
  • Washington is just one of seven states that does not have a personal income tax.
  • Seattle has the highest percentage of in the US holding a college degree.
  • Washington has the most glaciers of any state in the contiguous US.
  • Washington is home to over 1,000 dams, including the Grand Coulee, the largest in the nation.
  • Washington has a palindromic place called Harrah. This means that town's name can be reversed— spelled either from left to right or right to left— and it would be spelled or read identically.

Washington Facts

Population

200K

400K

600K

800K

1M

1.2M

1.4M

1.6M

1.8M

2M

2.2M

When comparing data from the 2010 Census to estimates taken in 2015 by the US Census Bureau, this comparison shows that the majority of Washington's counties saw increases in their populations. The highest gain of 12.23% was reported in Franklin County, followed by King County's 9.26%. Other counties that had population gains exceeding 5% include Whitman, Benton, Clark, and Snohomish, while other counties such as Whatcom, Pierce, and Douglas had smaller growth rates.

There were a total of five counties that had losses in their respective populations. The highest loss occurred in Columbia County, with a decrease of 3.95%. The remaining losses were recorded in Lincoln, Garfield, Pacific, and Grays Harbor.

Washington Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White5,465,01171.74%
Asian682,7118.96%
Two or more races655,5948.61%
Other race378,9564.97%
Black or African American293,4013.85%
Native American90,7891.19%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander50,9020.67%

White

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Washington Population by Race

Washington Population Pyramid 2024

Washington Median Age

37.9

Total

37

Male

38.8

Female

Washington Adults

There are 5,936,904 adults, (1,177,772 of whom are seniors) in Washington.

Washington Age Dependency

60.1

Age Dependency Ratio

24.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.3

Child Dependency Ratio

Washington Sex Ratio

Female3,785,40049.69%
Male3,831,96450.31%

Washington Population by Age

Washington Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All2,931,8412.5563.636.4
Married1,467,5893.1879.420.6
Non Family1,037,8181.3446.553.5
Female285,9993.3349.350.7
Male140,4353.354.645.4

3.1

Average Family Size

2.55

Average Household Size

63.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Washington Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Washington Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Washington Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.26%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 55.79%.

Washington Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$51,626

Average Earnings

$61,100

Average Male

$41,783

Average Female

Washington Earnings by Educational Attainment

Washington Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Washington Language

79.71% of Washington residents speak only English, while 20.29% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 8.65% of the population.

Washington Language

Washington Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White4,982,631407,3088.17%
Hispanic987,113162,93516.51%
Multiple639,88678,59512.28%
Other370,54966,96218.07%
Asian672,03958,4358.7%
Black283,13349,46217.47%
Native86,92518,10020.82%
Islander49,6917,02914.15%

9.99%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.05%

Male Poverty Rate

10.93%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Washington

The race most likely to be in poverty in Washington is Native, with 20.82% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Washington is White, with 8.17% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.53%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.79%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 17.32%.

Washington Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade20.28%
High School11.4%
Some College8.49%
Bachelors or Greater3.88%

Washington Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed25.56%
Male Unemployed23.45%
Female Employed5.39%
Male Employed3.82%

Washington Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Washington Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Washington Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

50.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.5%

Male Marriage Rate

50.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Washington Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Washington Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Washington Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Washington Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

509,722

Number of Veterans

454,296

Male Veterans

55,426

Female Veterans

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Washington Veterans by War

count

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Washington Veterans by Age

count

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Washington Veterans by Race

Washington Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.66%

Veteran Poverty Rate

29.17%

Veteran Disability Rate

Washington Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

64.7%

Labor Force Participation

60.5%

Employment Rate

5.1%

Unemployment Rate

Washington Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Washington Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Washington Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

46.77%

Born in Washington

85.34%

Native Born

14.66%

Foreign Born

7.58%

Non Citizen

7.08%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

85.34% of Washington residents were born in the United States, with 46.77% having been born in Washington. 7.58% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Washington Place of Birth

  1. Washington Data & Research
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources