WA
Washington
FIPS 53 · Population 7,816,116
6 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
7.8M ▲
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$98,141 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
$856B
GDP
4.5%
Unemployment
4% national
County Map
Click a county to view its economic profile
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$98,141
Per Capita
$53,744
Mean Household
$134,588
Poverty Rate
9.9% ▼
Age & Race / Ethnicity
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.4%
18-34 · 23.7%
35-54 · 26.3%
55-64 · 12%
65+ · 16.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.7 pts
39.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +3.9 pts
15.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +1.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
7,816,116
Population
4,088,635
Labor Force
Employed
3,819,646
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
4.5%
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.8%
Washington's median household income sits 22% above the national median. At 9.9%, its poverty rate runs 2.6 pts below the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 39.6% exceeds the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong consumer markets statewide.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 486,125 workers (19.9% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $73,062.
- Economic scale: State GDP of $856B (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries
LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, potential attraction targets. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.21x
Textile Mills
389 employed
0.21x
Pipeline Transportation
276 employed
0.30x
Monetary Authorities - Central Bank
141 employed
0.39x
Chemical Manufacturing
8,155 employed
0.41x
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
6,608 employed
0.42x
Utilities
5,797 employed
0.43x
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
1,857 employed
0.48x
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
376 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 4.50x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$564,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,760 ▲
Rent/Mo
63.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.3% ▼
Vacancy
5.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)
Renter-household-weighted average across 39 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,639/mo$683 to $2,074
1 Bedroom
$1,733/mo$742 to $2,146
2 Bedroom
$2,072/mo$973 to $2,501
3 Bedroom
$2,765/mo$1,353 to $3,272
4 Bedroom
$3,239/mo$1,559 to $3,847
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,454/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 5.8x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
4,845,704 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
▼ vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home
19.8%
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
39.6%
HS Diploma+
92.3%
Top Institutions
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
15,671/yr
9,043/yr
3,831/yr
3,463/yr
2,968/yr
2,496/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46.3%
Service
15.3%
Sales & Office
17.8%
Construction / Maint.
9%
Production / Transport
11.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,819,646 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
Source: ACS workforce data.
County Profiles
39 counties in Washington
Adams County
FIPS 53001
Asotin County
FIPS 53003
Benton County
FIPS 53005
Chelan County
FIPS 53007
Clallam County
FIPS 53009
Clark County
FIPS 53011
Columbia County
FIPS 53013
Cowlitz County
FIPS 53015
Douglas County
FIPS 53017
Ferry County
FIPS 53019
Franklin County
FIPS 53021
Garfield County
FIPS 53023
Grant County
FIPS 53025
Grays Harbor County
FIPS 53027
Island County
FIPS 53029
Jefferson County
FIPS 53031
King County
FIPS 53033
Kitsap County
FIPS 53035
Kittitas County
FIPS 53037
Klickitat County
FIPS 53039
Lewis County
FIPS 53041
Lincoln County
FIPS 53043
Mason County
FIPS 53045
Okanogan County
FIPS 53047
Pacific County
FIPS 53049
Pend Oreille County
FIPS 53051
Pierce County
FIPS 53053
San Juan County
FIPS 53055
Skagit County
FIPS 53057
Skamania County
FIPS 53059
Snohomish County
FIPS 53061
Spokane County
FIPS 53063
Stevens County
FIPS 53065
Thurston County
FIPS 53067
Wahkiakum County
FIPS 53069
Walla Walla County
FIPS 53071
Whatcom County
FIPS 53073
Whitman County
FIPS 53075
Yakima County
FIPS 53077
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 6 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Washington shows meaningful potential for crop production attraction, with a 4.50x concentration and 55,052 jobs in this sub-sector.
Cluster depth across crop production, fishing, hunting and trapping, and publishing industries and telecommunications creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Washington, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Washington?
7,816,116 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Washington?
$98,141 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Washington?
4.5% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Washington?
$856B (BEA SAGDP (state GDP)).
Washington (WA): Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →