Kittitas County, Washington Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Kittitas 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 Kittitas County, Washington. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Kittitas County, Washington. The estimated population of Kittitas County, Washington is 44,147 people, with a median age of 34.3.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
44,147
-6.26% +0.96%
2020
47,097
+2.61%
-
2019
45,897
+2.39%
-
2018
44,825
+2.51%
-
2017
43,726
- -

Population of Kittitas 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
81.3%
84.4%
-3.67%
Black/African American
0.9%
1%
-10.00%
Native
0.4%
0.6%
-33.33%
Hispanic
9.3%
8.6%
+8.14%
Asian
1.4%
1.9%
-26.32%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3%
0.2%
+50.00%
Two Or More Races
5.6%
3.2%
+75.00%
Other
0.8%
0.1%
+700.00%

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 Kittitas 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 34.3 +1.78% 33.5 +2.45% 35.1 +0.29%
2020 33.7 -0.3% 32.7 -0.3% 35 -0.28%
2019 33.8 +2.11% 32.8 +0.61% 35.1 +2.93%
2018 33.1 -0.6% 32.6 0% 34.1 -0.58%
2017 33.3 - 32.6 - 34.3 -

The median age of Kittitas 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 2,366 -16.72% 2,093 -4.85% 1,986 1,986
10 to 19 2,883 +14.23% 2,899 +11.37% 3,304 3,223
20 to 29 5,148 -7.64% 4,912 -6.7% 4,748 4,576
30 to 39 2,479 +8.68% 2,029 +19.43% 2,675 2,423
40 to 49 2,080 +5.32% 2,198 -11.63% 2,190 1,946
50 to 59 2,630 -13.14% 2,697 +0.84% 2,295 2,713
60 to 69 2,493 +16.46% 2,555 +3.12% 2,926 2,612
70+ 1,960 +8.92% 2,304 +5.53% 2,127 2,417

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Kittitas County, Washington is $64,134.00.

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 Kittitas County.

  • Under 25
    $28,317.00
  • 25 to 44
    $76,094.00
  • 45 to 64
    $97,741.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,777.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Kittitas 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 Kittitas County, Washington is currently $82,741.00.

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.

6.91% of households in Kittitas 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 Kittitas County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    19.62%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.59%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.41%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.36%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17.09%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.00%
  • $200,000 or more
    6.91%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Kittitas County is $34,350.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Kittitas 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 Kittitas 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
    13.00%
  • Bachelor's degree
    38.21%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    13.06%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    33.16%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.56%

Employment

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

The total population of Kittitas County over the age of 16 is 37,526.

Of those people, a total of 62.70% 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 Kittitas County is 58.30%.

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 3,878 45.10% 30.90%
20 to 24 years 6,442 78.60% 9.00%
25 to 29 years 2,882 83.90% 4.80%
30 to 34 years 2,549 81.70% 1.40%
35 to 44 years 4,507 78.10% 4.10%
45 to 54 years 4,576 78.00% 1.10%
55 to 59 years 2,610 78.70% 8.00%
60 to 64 years 3,039 53.70% 4.00%
65 to 74 years 4,385 28.40% 0.60%
75 years and over 2,658 7.30% 4.10%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Kittitas 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 32,300 62.50% 5.90%
Black or African American 375 66.40% 9.20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 198 35.40% 0.00%
Asian 502 63.70% 5.70%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 125 53.60% 0.00%
Other 1,857 61.80% 4.30%
Two or more races 2,169 68.20% 19.00%
Hispanic or Latino 2,995 64.20% 6.80%
Not Hispanic or Latino 31,224 62.70% 5.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Kittitas 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 Kittitas County is 21,866, with median earnings of $38,903.00.

Women in Kittitas County, Washington earning approximately 67.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 21,866 $38,903.00
Male 11,750 $45,222.00
Female 10,116 $30,413.00

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 2,669 $64,512.00
Business and Financial 758 $43,056.00
Computer and Mathematical 369 $76,719.00
Architecture and Engineering 357 $75,021.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 207 $50,625.00
Community and Social Service 530 $43,438.00
Legal 344 $43,969.00
Educational and Library 1,718 $45,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 320 $43,258.00
Healthcare Practitioners 886 $83,152.00
Healthcare Support 777 $22,841.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 501 $50,036.00
Law Enforcement 299 $70,962.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,994 $15,704.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 726 $22,169.00
Personal Care and Service 437 $11,793.00
Sales 1,751 $22,366.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,848 $36,364.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 349 $29,901.00
Construction and Extraction 1,175 $49,876.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 707 $57,901.00
Production 590 $40,872.00
Transportation and Material Moving 833 $49,120.00

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 1,702 $64,103.00 967 $65,063.00
Business and Financial 427 $46,445.00 331 $39,477.00
Computer and Mathematical 201 $76,615.00 168 $77,632.00
Architecture and Engineering 355 $74,961.00 2 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 124 $62,839.00 83 $38,789.00
Community and Social Service 278 $44,006.00 252 $35,833.00
Legal 17 $0.00 327 $44,036.00
Educational and Library 702 $31,667.00 1,016 $46,570.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 157 $44,280.00 163 $25,250.00
Healthcare Practitioners 429 $127,159.00 457 $61,094.00
Healthcare Support 67 $30,694.00 710 $17,375.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 283 $86,927.00 218 $13,532.00
Law Enforcement 255 $71,228.00 44 $34,118.00
Food Preparation and Serving 940 $17,262.00 1,054 $11,551.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 512 $33,000.00 214 $10,969.00
Personal Care and Service 101 $6,862.00 336 $13,913.00
Sales 874 $39,531.00 877 $15,445.00
Office and Administrative Support 467 $47,629.00 2,381 $35,432.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 301 $33,109.00 48 $25,595.00
Construction and Extraction 1,142 $49,842.00 33 $50,938.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 642 $57,972.00 65 $41,250.00
Production 481 $42,604.00 109 $17,277.00
Transportation and Material Moving 750 $52,273.00 83 $22,386.00

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 18,772 households in Kittitas County, with an average household size of 2.22 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 10,870 families in Kittitas County with an average family size of 2.7 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 8,782 765 1,323 7,902
Average Household Size 2.77 2.6 2.83 1.47
Total Families 8,782 765 1,323 0
Average Household Size 2.76 2.34 2.57 0

Poverty

Of the 10,870 families in Kittitas County, 6.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Kittitas 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 23,505 housing units in Kittitas County, Washington.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 18,772 79.86%
Vacant 4,733 20.14%

29.70% of the total 23,505 housing units in Kittitas County are rental units. This is approximately 6,982 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 11,258 are occupied by the owner - or 47.90% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Kittitas County is $1,085.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Kittitas 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
    532
  • Less than $500
    356
  • $500 to $999
    2,623
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    2,452
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    1,078
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    337
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    121
  • $3,000 or more
    15

Property Value

The median value of a property in Kittitas County is $352,900.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    331
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    142
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    386
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,074
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    2,412
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    4,037
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    2,443
  • $1,000,000 or more
    433

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    3,094
  • 1940 to 1949
    882
  • 1950 to 1959
    773
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,813
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,204
  • 1980 to 1989
    2,036
  • 1990 to 1999
    4,316
  • 2000 to 2009
    4,804
  • 2010 to 2013
    2,565
  • 2014 or later
    18

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 Kittitas County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    649
  • 1 vehicle available
    5,010
  • 2 vehicles available
    6,976
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    6,137

Commuting to Work

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

22.6 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Kittitas 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
    1,246
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    4,826
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    3,913
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,640
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,604
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    420
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    798
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    142
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    411
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    897
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    1,311
  • 90 or more minutes
    972

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Kittitas 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 Kittitas County, Washington

We have data for 14 places in Kittitas County, Washington. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.