Population
8,001,020
2025
+3.5% since 2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. Resident population, July 1 estimate.
What are the fastest-growing counties in Washington?
Lincoln County (+9.7%), Wahkiakum County (+9.6%) and Douglas County (+8.0%) grew fastest in Washington between 2020 and 2025.
Washington as a whole grew 3.5% between 2020 and 2025, to 8,001,020 residents.
Data as of 2025 · updated
Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now.
All 39 Washington counties ranked
| Rank | County | Residents 2025 | Change 2020–25 | Net migration per 1,000, 2025 | New homes per 1,000, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln County | 11,982 | +9.7% | 15.3 | 5.6 |
| 2 | Wahkiakum County | 4,873 | +9.6% | 17.4 | 4.3 |
| 3 | Douglas County | 46,473 | +8.0% | 14.8 | 6.5 |
| 4 | Mason County | 71,165 | +7.8% | 19.4 | 2.9 |
| 5 | Okanogan County | 45,230 | +7.3% | 1.5 | 5.1 |
| 6 | Pend Oreille County | 14,457 | +7.0% | 12.7 | 4.0 |
| 7 | Benton County | 221,722 | +6.9% | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 8 | Lewis County | 88,062 | +6.7% | 10.7 | 4.9 |
| 9 | Klickitat County | 24,331 | +6.6% | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| 10 | Stevens County | 49,668 | +6.6% | 11.6 | 3.9 |
| 11 | Grant County | 105,727 | +6.3% | −2.5 | 4.1 |
| 12 | Franklin County | 102,612 | +5.6% | −0.9 | 7.5 |
| 13 | Clark County | 532,119 | +5.3% | 6.4 | 6.1 |
| 14 | Skamania County | 12,669 | +5.2% | 2.3 | 4.3 |
| 15 | Garfield County | 2,416 | +5.2% | 5.8 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Snohomish County | 870,656 | +4.9% | −0.6 | 3.9 |
| 17 | Columbia County | 4,141 | +4.7% | 23.2 | 1.2 |
| 18 | Ferry County | 7,517 | +4.4% | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| 19 | Adams County | 21,488 | +4.3% | −8.8 | 1.5 |
| 20 | Kittitas County | 48,803 | +4.2% | 13.1 | 5.9 |
| 21 | San Juan County | 18,577 | +4.2% | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| 22 | Whatcom County | 236,392 | +3.9% | 6.1 | 5.1 |
| 23 | Pacific County | 24,357 | +3.6% | 11.0 | 2.6 |
| 24 | Cowlitz County | 114,885 | +3.5% | 9.4 | 2.7 |
| 25 | Chelan County | 81,941 | +3.3% | 0.9 | 9.6 |
| 26 | Spokane County | 558,344 | +3.2% | 2.4 | 5.3 |
| 27 | King County | 2,344,939 | +3.1% | −3.9 | 3.6 |
| 28 | Grays Harbor County | 78,144 | +3.0% | 4.3 | 2.9 |
| 29 | Thurston County | 304,261 | +2.8% | 5.2 | 5.5 |
| 30 | Kitsap County | 283,374 | +2.7% | 6.4 | 6.3 |
| 31 | Jefferson County | 33,970 | +2.7% | 10.1 | 6.4 |
| 32 | Pierce County | 946,288 | +2.5% | 1.2 | 4.0 |
| 33 | Skagit County | 132,975 | +2.4% | 3.6 | 2.8 |
| 34 | Whitman County | 48,512 | +1.5% | 5.2 | 0.5 |
| 35 | Clallam County | 78,202 | +1.1% | 11.4 | 3.7 |
| 36 | Asotin County | 22,545 | +1.0% | −0.8 | 1.6 |
| 37 | Yakima County | 259,185 | +1.0% | −6.0 | 2.8 |
| 38 | Walla Walla County | 62,361 | −0.4% | 4.4 | 2.6 |
| 39 | Island County | 85,657 | −1.5% | −3.6 | 2.4 |
Ranked by the change in Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025.
Statewide totals
Net domestic migration
+9,238
2025
1.2 per 1,000 residents
−24,858 in total, 2021–2025
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. People moving in from other U.S. counties minus people moving out.
New homes permitted
34,913
2025
−38.7% since 2021
4.4 per 1,000 residents
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Housing units authorized by building permits in the year.
Private-sector employment
2,994,530
2023
+6.6% since 2018
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. Paid employees of private employers in mid-March (County Business Patterns).
More county rankings for Washington
Metro areas
- Aberdeen, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA
- Centralia, WA
- Ellensburg, WA
- Kennewick-Richland, WA
- Lewiston, ID-WA
- Longview-Kelso, WA
- Moses Lake, WA
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
- Oak Harbor, WA
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
- Othello, WA
- Port Angeles, WA
- Port Townsend, WA
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Pullman, WA
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Shelton, WA
- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
- Walla Walla, WA
- Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA
- Yakima, WA
Fastest-growing metro areas in Washington · Fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. · Largest metro areas in Washington
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Questions
Is Washington growing?
Washington as a whole grew 3.5% between 2020 and 2025, to 8,001,020 residents. Statewide figures add up its counties.
What is the fastest-growing county in Washington?
Lincoln County, which grew 9.7% between 2020 and 2025 to 11,982 residents (Census Bureau population estimates). Wahkiakum County (+9.6%) and Douglas County (+8.0%) came next.
Which Washington counties are losing population?
2 of the 39 ranked counties had fewer residents in 2025 than in 2020. The steepest declines: Island County (−1.5%), Walla Walla County (−0.4%).
Where are people moving in Washington?
For their size, Columbia County (23.2 per 1,000 residents), Mason County (19.4 per 1,000 residents) and Wahkiakum County (17.4 per 1,000 residents) drew the most net domestic migration (people moving in from other U.S. counties minus people moving out) in 2025.
Fastest-growing counties in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources and method
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.