Clark County, Washington Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Clark County, Washington, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Clark County, Washington. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Clark County, Washington. The estimated population of Clark County, Washington is 496,494 people, with a median age of 38.7.

We can look at the total population in Clark County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
496,494
+3.02%
+8.53%
2020
481,950
+1.84%
-
2019
473,252
+1.69%
-
2018
465,384
+1.73%
-
2017
457,474
 - -

Population of Clark County, Washington by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
76.3%
79.4%
 -3.90%
Black/African American
1.8%
1.8%
 0.00%
Native
0.4%
0.5%
 -20.00%
Hispanic
10.4%
9%
 +15.56%
Asian
4.6%
4.4%
 +4.55%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.7%
0.7%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
5.4%
4%
 +35.00%
Other
0.3%
0.2%
 +50.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Clark County, Washington by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 38.7 +0.26% 37.9 +1.07% 39.4 -0.25%
2020 38.6 +0.52% 37.5 +0.27% 39.5 +0.51%
2019 38.4 +0.52% 37.4 +0.54% 39.3 +0.51%
2018 38.2 +0.53% 37.2 +0.27% 39.1 +0.51%
2017 38 - 37.1 - 38.9 -

The median age of Clark County, Washington gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 31,505 +1.62% 30,742 +0.35% 32,016 30,846
10 to 19 32,254 +5.59% 29,892 +7.64% 34,077 32,231
20 to 29 28,600 +9.79% 27,624 +9.2% 31,503 30,252
30 to 39 29,354 +12.99% 30,745 +8.63% 33,348 33,484
40 to 49 31,232 +5.87% 30,825 +7.28% 33,091 33,124
50 to 59 30,375 +5.77% 31,476 +2.38% 32,141 32,229
60 to 69 25,091 +12.88% 27,790 +8.03% 28,476 30,082
70+ 17,767 +22.15% 22,202 +22.26% 22,038 27,556

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Clark County, Washington is $82,719.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Clark County.

  • Under 25
    $49,958.00
  • 25 to 44
    $89,992.00
  • 45 to 64
    $98,602.00
  • 65 and over
    $60,223.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Clark County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Clark County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Clark County, Washington is currently $104,100.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

9.52% of households in Clark County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Clark County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    11.32%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    16.34%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.70%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.43%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    21.17%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    9.51%
  • $200,000 or more
    9.52%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Clark County is $39,371.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Clark County by the total population of Clark County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Clark County, Washington, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Clark County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.80%
  • Bachelor's degree
    33.82%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.92%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    34.51%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.94%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Clark County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Clark County over the age of 16 is 392,179.

Of those people, a total of 63.90% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Clark County is 60.40%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 24,855 39.20% 17.00%
20 to 24 years 28,814 80.40% 7.70%
25 to 29 years 32,941 82.90% 6.00%
30 to 34 years 33,234 81.10% 6.10%
35 to 44 years 67,009 82.50% 4.70%
45 to 54 years 64,828 81.80% 3.00%
55 to 59 years 32,346 75.80% 4.80%
60 to 64 years 31,123 59.50% 4.10%
65 to 74 years 49,003 22.30% 4.50%
75 years and over 28,026 4.30% 2.80%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Clark County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 326,048 63.20% 5.20%
Black or African American 7,620 66.10% 6.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2,301 58.50% 6.00%
Asian 19,531 65.80% 4.10%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 2,892 71.20% 5.40%
Other 10,028 68.70% 4.30%
Two or more races 23,759 68.90% 7.70%
Hispanic or Latino 33,439 68.90% 6.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 309,665 63.00% 5.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Clark County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Clark County is 236,933, with median earnings of $47,135.00.

Women in Clark County, Washington earning approximately 66.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 236,933 $47,135.00
Male 128,917 $56,655.00
Female 108,016 $37,545.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 26,507 $82,328.00
Business and Financial 13,654 $67,228.00
Computer and Mathematical 7,769 $85,408.00
Architecture and Engineering 5,859 $85,602.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,678 $64,404.00
Community and Social Service 3,755 $52,876.00
Legal 2,094 $81,167.00
Educational and Library 12,194 $46,452.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 4,127 $43,038.00
Healthcare Practitioners 13,872 $72,729.00
Healthcare Support 9,390 $29,415.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 2,856 $49,310.00
Law Enforcement 1,852 $81,958.00
Food Preparation and Serving 12,553 $20,221.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 7,005 $29,572.00
Personal Care and Service 5,283 $20,364.00
Sales 23,636 $38,992.00
Office and Administrative Support 25,599 $39,035.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1,054 $35,371.00
Construction and Extraction 13,823 $52,082.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 7,602 $59,368.00
Production 13,336 $44,480.00
Transportation and Material Moving 12,285 $51,691.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 16,741 $92,993.00 9,766 $64,418.00
Business and Financial 6,479 $75,406.00 7,175 $61,276.00
Computer and Mathematical 5,795 $86,627.00 1,974 $83,686.00
Architecture and Engineering 4,839 $85,267.00 1,020 $89,333.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 859 $70,486.00 819 $61,442.00
Community and Social Service 1,289 $58,039.00 2,466 $49,191.00
Legal 972 $131,250.00 1,122 $62,639.00
Educational and Library 2,874 $57,021.00 9,320 $41,864.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2,148 $48,232.00 1,979 $34,335.00
Healthcare Practitioners 3,118 $91,516.00 10,754 $65,695.00
Healthcare Support 1,353 $27,641.00 8,037 $30,067.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 2,184 $72,661.00 672 $31,937.00
Law Enforcement 1,269 $88,681.00 583 $66,187.00
Food Preparation and Serving 5,084 $22,231.00 7,469 $18,637.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 4,406 $34,333.00 2,599 $23,271.00
Personal Care and Service 841 $19,601.00 4,442 $20,526.00
Sales 12,565 $58,702.00 11,071 $25,958.00
Office and Administrative Support 6,758 $45,158.00 18,841 $37,750.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 790 $36,429.00 264 $14,103.00
Construction and Extraction 13,423 $52,363.00 400 $33,913.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 7,390 $59,253.00 212 $62,885.00
Production 10,520 $49,256.00 2,816 $32,174.00
Transportation and Material Moving 10,296 $53,956.00 1,989 $31,675.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 184,173 households in Clark County, with an average household size of 2.67 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 127,133 families in Clark County with an average family size of 3.15 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 98,970 8,967 19,196 57,040
Average Household Size 3.27 3.29 3.22 1.36
Total Families 98,970 8,967 19,196 0
Average Household Size 3.23 2.81 2.89 0

Poverty

Of the 127,133 families in Clark County, 6.10% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Clark County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 192,003 housing units in Clark County, Washington.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 184,173 95.92%
Vacant 7,830 4.08%

30.84% of the total 192,003 housing units in Clark County are rental units. This is approximately 59,219 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 122,549 are occupied by the owner - or 63.83% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Clark County is $1,432.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Clark County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    2,405
  • Less than $500
    2,402
  • $500 to $999
    7,477
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    23,257
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    17,465
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    6,101
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    1,661
  • $3,000 or more
    856

Property Value

The median value of a property in Clark County is $381,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Clark County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    3,647
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,286
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,576
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3,255
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    22,204
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    60,134
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    27,822
  • $1,000,000 or more
    2,625

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Clark County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Clark County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    8,187
  • 1940 to 1949
    6,579
  • 1950 to 1959
    9,025
  • 1960 to 1969
    12,681
  • 1970 to 1979
    32,285
  • 1980 to 1989
    22,077
  • 1990 to 1999
    44,037
  • 2000 to 2009
    33,447
  • 2010 to 2013
    22,831
  • 2014 or later
    854

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Clark County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    8,398
  • 1 vehicle available
    48,343
  • 2 vehicles available
    71,872
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    55,560

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Clark County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Clark County that commute to work in a particular way.

26.6 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Clark County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    4,134
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    17,738
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    26,038
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    32,711
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    31,902
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    16,086
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    28,251
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    6,772
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    7,440
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    15,784
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    10,319
  • 90 or more minutes
    5,490

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Clark County, Washington in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Clark County, Washington

We have data for 33 places in Clark County, Washington. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.