Counties of Washington
LocationState of Washington
Number39
Populations2,363 (Garfield) – 2,266,789 (King)
Areas175 square miles (450 km2) (San Juan) – 5,268 square miles (13,640 km2) (Okanogan)
Government
Subdivisions
  • cities, towns, townships, Indian reservations

The U.S. state of Washington has 39 counties. The Provisional Government of Oregon established Vancouver and Lewis Counties in 1845 in unorganized Oregon Country, extending from the Columbia River north to 54°40′ north latitude. After the region was organized within the Oregon Territory with the current northern border of 49° north, Vancouver County was renamed Clark, and six more counties were created out of Lewis County before the organization of Washington Territory in 1853; 28 were formed during Washington's territorial period, two of which only existed briefly. The final five were established in the 22 years after Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.[1][2]

Article XI of the Washington State Constitution addresses the organization of counties. New counties must have a population of at least 2,000 and no county can be reduced to a population below 4,000 due to partitioning to create a new county.[3] To alter the area of a county, the state constitution requires a petition of the "majority of the voters" in that area. A number of county partition proposals in the 1990s interpreted this as a majority of people who voted, until a 1998 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court clarified that they would need a majority of registered voters.[4] No changes to counties have been made since the formation of Pend Oreille County in 1911, except when the small area of Cliffdell was moved from Kittitas to Yakima County in 1970.[5]

King County, home to the state's largest city, Seattle, holds almost 30 percent of Washington's population (2,266,789 residents of 7,785,786 in 2022), and has the highest population density, with more than 1,000 people per square mile (400/km2). Garfield County is both the least populated (2,363) and least densely populated (3.3/sq mi [1.3/km2]). Two counties, San Juan and Island, are composed only of islands. The average county is 1,830 square miles (4,700 km2), with 199,636 people.

Seventeen counties have Native American–derived names, including nine names of tribes whose land settlers would occupy. Another seventeen were named for political figures, only five of whom had lived in the region. The last five are named for geographic places.[6]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census data pages for each county. Washington's FIPS state code is 53.

Governance

Population density map of Washington

Counties provide a broad scope of services, including court operation, parks and recreation, libraries, arts, social services, elections, waste collection, roads and transportation, zoning and permitting, as well as taxation.[7][8] The extent of these vary, and some are administered by municipalities. Counties are not subdivided into minor civil divisions like townships; sub-county local government is only by incorporated cities and towns, as well as by 29 Indian reservations, while unincorporated areas are governed only by the county. There are 242 census county divisions for statistical purposes only.[9]

The default form of county government is the non-charter commission, with three to five elected commissioners serving as both the legislature and executive. Seven counties have adopted charters providing for home rule distinct from state law: King, Clallam, Whatcom, Snohomish, Pierce, San Juan, and Clark. Of these, King, Whatcom, Snohomish, and Pierce, four major counties on Puget Sound, elect a county executive. Councils in the other three charter counties appoint a manager to administer the government.[10] Voters may also elect a clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor, coroner, auditor (or recorder), and prosecuting attorney. Elections are nonpartisan in non-charter counties, but charter counties may choose to make some positions partisan, though all elections are by top-two primary.[10]

List of counties

Counties of Washington
County
 FIPS code County seat[11] Est.[11][12] Formed from[12][13] Etymology Population
(2022)[14]		 Land area[11] Map
Adams County 001 Ritzville1883Whitman CountyJohn Adams (1735–1826), 2nd U.S. President[15] 20,961 1,925 sq mi
(4,986 km2)		State map highlighting Adams County
Asotin County 003 Asotin1883Garfield CountyThe Nez Percé name for Eel Creek[16] 22,508 636 sq mi
(1,647 km2)		State map highlighting Asotin County
Benton County 005 Prosser1905Yakima and Klickitat CountiesThomas Hart Benton (1782–1858), a U.S. Senator from Missouri[17] 212,791 1,700 sq mi
(4,403 km2)		State map highlighting Benton County
Chelan County 007 Wenatchee1899Okanogan and Kittitas CountiesA Native American word meaning "deep water", referring to Lake Chelan[18] 79,926 2,920 sq mi
(7,563 km2)		State map highlighting Chelan County
Clallam County 009 Port Angeles1854Jefferson CountyA Klallam word meaning "brave people" or "the strong people"[19] 77,805 1,738 sq mi
(4,501 km2)		State map highlighting Clallam County
Clark County 011 Vancouver1845Original CountyWilliam Clark (1770–1838), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition[19] 516,779 629 sq mi
(1,629 km2)		State map highlighting Clark County
Columbia County 013 Dayton1875Walla Walla CountyThe Columbia River[19] 4,026 869 sq mi
(2,251 km2)		State map highlighting Columbia County
Cowlitz County 015 Kelso1854Lewis CountyCowlitz, an Indian tribe[20] 111,956 1,139 sq mi
(2,950 km2)		State map highlighting Cowlitz County
Douglas County 017 Waterville1883Lincoln CountyStephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), U.S. Senator from Illinois[21] 44,192 1,819 sq mi
(4,711 km2)		State map highlighting Douglas County
Ferry County 019 Republic1899Stevens CountyElisha P. Ferry (1825–1895), 1st Governor of Washington[22] 7,448 2,204 sq mi
(5,708 km2)		State map highlighting Ferry County
Franklin County 021 Pasco1883Whitman CountyBenjamin Franklin (1706–1790), writer, orator, inventor, and U.S. Founding Father[23] 98,678 1,242 sq mi
(3,217 km2)		State map highlighting Franklin County
Garfield County 023 Pomeroy1881Columbia CountyJames A. Garfield (1831–1881), 20th U.S. President[23] 2,363 710 sq mi
(1,839 km2)		State map highlighting Garfield County
Grant County 025 Ephrata1909Douglas CountyUlysses S. Grant (1822–1885), 18th U.S. President[24] 101,311 2,680 sq mi
(6,941 km2)		State map highlighting Grant County
Grays Harbor County 027 Montesano1854Thurston CountyGrays Harbor, a body of water named after explorer and merchant Robert Gray (1755–1806)[24] 77,038 1,902 sq mi
(4,926 km2)		State map highlighting Grays Harbor County
Island County 029 Coupeville1852Thurston CountyConsists solely of islands, including Whidbey and Camano islands[25] 86,625 209 sq mi
(541 km2)		State map highlighting Island County
Jefferson County 031 Port Townsend1852Thurston CountyThomas Jefferson (1743–1826), 3rd U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence[25] 33,589 1,804 sq mi
(4,672 km2)		State map highlighting Jefferson County
King County 033 Seattle1852Thurston CountyWilliam R. King (1786–1853), U.S. Vice President under Franklin Pierce; officially renamed in 2005 after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (no relation) (1929–1968)[26] 2,266,789 2,115 sq mi
(5,478 km2)		State map highlighting King County
Kitsap County 035 Port Orchard1857King and Jefferson CountiesChief Kitsap (d. 1860), leader of the Suquamish tribe[27] 277,673 395 sq mi
(1,023 km2)		State map highlighting Kitsap County
Kittitas County 037 Ellensburg1883Yakima CountyYakama word of uncertain meaning, with popular translations ranging from "white chalk" to "land of the plenty"[27] 45,189 2,297 sq mi
(5,949 km2)		State map highlighting Kittitas County
Klickitat County 039 Goldendale1859Walla Walla CountyKlickitat tribe, also meaning "robber" and "beyond"[27] 23,271 1,872 sq mi
(4,848 km2)		State map highlighting Klickitat County
Lewis County 041 Chehalis1845Clark CountyMeriwether Lewis (1774–1809), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition[28] 85,370 2,403 sq mi
(6,224 km2)		State map highlighting Lewis County
Lincoln County 043 Davenport1883Whitman CountyAbraham Lincoln (1809–1865), 16th U.S. President[28] 11,601 2,311 sq mi
(5,985 km2)		State map highlighting Lincoln County
Mason County 045 Shelton1854King CountyCharles H. Mason (1830–1859), 1st Secretary of Washington Territory[29] 68,166 959 sq mi
(2,484 km2)		State map highlighting Mason County
Okanogan County 047 Okanogan1888Stevens CountyA Salish word meaning "rendezvous"[30] 43,127 5,268 sq mi
(13,644 km2)		State map highlighting Okanogan County
Pacific County 049 South Bend1851Lewis CountyThe Pacific Ocean[31] 24,113 933 sq mi
(2,416 km2)		State map highlighting Pacific County
Pend Oreille County 051 Newport1911Stevens CountyThe Pend d'Oreille tribe, named by French traders for their "ear bobs"[32] 14,179 1,400 sq mi
(3,626 km2)		State map highlighting Pend Oreille County
Pierce County 053 Tacoma1852Thurston CountyFranklin Pierce (1804–1869), 14th U.S. President[32] 927,380 1,670 sq mi
(4,325 km2)		State map highlighting Pierce County
San Juan County 055 Friday Harbor1873Whatcom CountySan Juan Islands, itself derived from Juan Vicente de Güemes[33] 18,662 174 sq mi
(451 km2)		State map highlighting San Juan County
Skagit County 057 Mount Vernon1883Whatcom CountyThe Skagit tribe[34] 131,179 1,731 sq mi
(4,483 km2)		State map highlighting Skagit County
Skamania County 059 Stevenson1854Clark CountyA Chinookan word meaning "swift water"[34] 12,460 1,656 sq mi
(4,289 km2)		State map highlighting Skamania County
Snohomish County 061 Everett1861Island and King CountiesThe Snohomish tribe, word origin disputed[35] 840,079 2,087 sq mi
(5,405 km2)		State map highlighting Snohomish County
Spokane County 063 Spokane1879Stevens CountyThe Spokane tribe 549,690 1,764 sq mi
(4,569 km2)		State map highlighting Spokane County
Stevens County 065 Colville1863Walla Walla CountyIsaac Stevens (1818–1862), 1st Governor of the Washington Territory[36] 48,229 2,478 sq mi
(6,418 km2)		State map highlighting Stevens County
Thurston County 067 Olympia1852Lewis CountySamuel Thurston (1815–1851), the Oregon Territory's first delegate to U.S. Congress[37] 298,758 722 sq mi
(1,870 km2)		State map highlighting Thurston County
Wahkiakum County 069 Cathlamet1854Cowlitz CountyWakaiakam, chief of the Kathlamet tribe[38] 4,688 264 sq mi
(684 km2)		State map highlighting Wahkiakum County
Walla Walla County 071 Walla Walla1854Skamania CountyThe Walla Walla tribe, also a Nez Percé name for running water[38] 61,890 1,270 sq mi
(3,289 km2)		State map highlighting Walla Walla County
Whatcom County 073 Bellingham1854Island CountyWhatcom, chief of the Nooksack tribe and named for a Nooksack word meaning "noisy water"[39] 230,677 2,107 sq mi
(5,457 km2)		State map highlighting Whatcom County
Whitman County 075 Colfax1871Stevens CountyMarcus Whitman (1802–1847), a Methodist missionary[40] 47,619 2,159 sq mi
(5,592 km2)		State map highlighting Whitman County
Yakima County 077 Yakima1865Ferguson County (defunct)The Yakama tribe, meaning "runaway [waters]" or "big belly"[41] 257,001 4,296 sq mi
(11,127 km2)		State map highlighting Yakima County

Former county names

Four counties changed their name between 1849 and 1925.

Former counties

During Washington's territorial period, Washington split off from an Oregon county, three counties were disestablished, and three split into separate territories.

  • Clackamas County, Oregon was established in 1844 and included the land south and east of the Columbia River until Washington Territory was formed in 1853, when the area was no longer organized as a county.[50]
  • Spokane County was established in Washington Territory in 1858 until it merged into Stevens County in 1864; it was reestablished in 1879.[51]
  • Missoula County was established in Washington Territory in 1860 until it split off with the Idaho Territory in 1863.[51]
  • Shoshone County, Idaho County, and Nez Perce County were established in Washington Territory in 1861, and Boise County in 1863, until they split off into the Idaho Territory in March 1863, leaving the current borders of Washington.[51]
  • Ferguson County, named for Washington legislator James L. Ferguson, was established on January 23, 1863, from Walla Walla County and dissolved on January 18, 1865. Yakima County was established in its place.[52][53]
  • Quillehuyte County was split from Jefferson and Clallam counties in 1868 and returned to those counties a year later before it could be organized.[54]

Proposed counties

Several counties were proposed prior to or during the existence of Washington Territory and nine counties were proposed within the first 16 years of Washington's statehood, but none were established.

  • The representatives at the Cowlitz Convention of 1851 discussed a proposal to form Columbia Territory, which included a number of new counties in what later became Washington. The next session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature created only one of these counties: Thurston County (which was originally proposed as Simmons County).[55][56]
  • Buchanan County was proposed in 1856 as a division of Clark County.[57]
  • Proposed counties during Washington's early statehood included Big Bend (1891), Palouse (1891 and 1903), Sherman (1891), Washington (1891), Wenatchee (1893), McKinley (1903), Steptoe (1903), and Coulee (1905).[6]
  • Since the 1990s, there have been several proposals for county secession in Washington, largely from rural areas in the major counties of Western Washington. Cedar, Freedom, and Skykomish counties submitted petitions to secede from King and Snohomish counties in 1995 and 1996, with some support in the state legislature to put them to a public referendum.[4][58][59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Washington: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". Washington Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Newberry Library. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ Smith 1913, p. 1 (As noted on p. 15, Pend Oreille County was not included in this tally because it was organized after the article was first published in 1909.)
  3. ↑ "Article XI, Section 3: New Counties". Washington State Constitution. Washington State Office of the Code Reviser. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Spencer, Hal (February 6, 1998). "New counties dealt major blow". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. B8. Retrieved March 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
    Cedar County Committee v. Munro, 134 Wash. 2d 377 (Supreme Court of Washington 1998).
  5. ↑ "Area Transferred". Longview Daily News. Associated Press. September 22, 1970. p. 3. Retrieved February 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Smith 1913, pp. 13–15
  7. ↑ "Services". King County. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ↑ "County Services". Spokane County. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Washington: Basic Information". 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "County Forms of Government". Municipal Research and Services Center. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find A County". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Washington: Historical Borders". Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Newberry Library. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ "County Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 4
  15. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 9
  16. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 14
  17. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 25
  18. 1 2 3 Phillips 1971, pp. 27–30
  19. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 33
  20. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 41
  21. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 49
  22. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 52–53
  23. 1 2 Phillips 1971, p. 57
  24. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 66–67
  25. ↑ Brodeur, Nicole (January 20, 2020). "Remembering fight to change county namesake". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  26. 1 2 3 Phillips 1971, pp. 72–73
  27. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 77–79
  28. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 87
  29. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 100
  30. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 105
  31. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 107–108
  32. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 124
  33. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 130–131
  34. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 133
  35. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 138
  36. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 144
  37. 1 2 Phillips 1971, pp. 153–154
  38. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 158
  39. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 159
  40. ↑ Phillips 1971, p. 163
  41. ↑ Ott, Jennifer (July 1, 2008). "Chehalis – Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Chapter 77 (S.B. 297), Changing Name of Chehalis County". Session Laws of the State of Washington. 1915. p. 250. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  43. ↑ Wilma, David (April 19, 2006). "Washington Territorial Legislature creates Sawamish (Mason) County on April 15, 1854". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  44. ↑ Wilma, David (July 27, 2006). "Slaughter County is renamed Kitsap County on July 13, 1857". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  45. ↑ Smith 1913, pp. 7–8
  46. ↑ Smith 1913, pp. 1–2
  47. ↑ Holman 1910, pp. 3–5
  48. ↑ Hanable, William S. (February 4, 2004). "Clark County — Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  49. ↑ "Oregon: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". Oregon Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Newberry Library. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  50. 1 2 3 "Washington: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries". Newberry Library. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  51. ↑ Becker, Paula (September 20, 2005). "Ferguson County is established on January 23, 1863". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  52. ↑ "Milestones for Washington State History – Part 2: 1851 to 1900". HistoryLink. March 6, 2003. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  53. ↑ Smith 1913, p. 11
  54. ↑ Smith 1913, pp. 3–4
  55. ↑ Meany 1922, pp. 11–12
  56. ↑ Smith 1913, p. 7
  57. ↑ Robertson, Kipp (March 8, 2019). "Splitting King County? Citizens fought to secede in the 90s". KING 5 News. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  58. ↑ Brooks, Diane (March 21, 1997). "House OKs Nov. vote on Skykomish County". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

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