Walla Walla County, Washington Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County, Washington. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Walla Walla County, Washington. The estimated population of Walla Walla County, Washington is 62,168 people, with a median age of 37.5.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
62,168
+2.28%
+3.85%
2020
60,785
+0.7%
-
2019
60,365
+0.21%
-
2018
60,236
+0.62%
-
2017
59,862
- -

Population of Walla Walla 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
70.6%
72.3%
-2.35%
Black/African American
1.7%
1.4%
+21.43%
Native
0.3%
0.5%
-40.00%
Hispanic
22%
21.1%
+4.27%
Asian
1.6%
1.5%
+6.67%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.2%
0.1%
+100.00%
Two Or More Races
3.6%
3%
+20.00%
Other
0%
0.2%
-100.00%

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 Walla Walla 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 37.5 0% 36.5 +1.67% 39 -0.51%
2020 37.5 0% 35.9 +0.28% 39.2 -1.01%
2019 37.5 +1.08% 35.8 +0.85% 39.6 +0.76%
2018 37.1 -0.54% 35.5 -0.28% 39.3 0%
2017 37.3 - 35.6 - 39.3 -

The median age of Walla Walla 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 3,685 -8.18% 3,369 -0.26% 3,390 3,348
10 to 19 4,209 +10.74% 4,159 +7.25% 4,673 4,458
20 to 29 5,132 -2.57% 4,100 +3.01% 5,000 4,223
30 to 39 3,781 +11.17% 3,139 +11.76% 4,221 3,520
40 to 49 3,705 +1.21% 3,206 -3.55% 3,742 3,076
50 to 59 3,902 -3.39% 4,032 -17.89% 3,755 3,355
60 to 69 3,295 +14.93% 3,258 +18.3% 3,800 3,884
70+ 2,983 +9.3% 3,907 +13.48% 3,266 4,457

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Walla Walla County, Washington is $63,686.00.

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 Walla Walla County.

  • Under 25
    $28,973.00
  • 25 to 44
    $70,461.00
  • 45 to 64
    $77,069.00
  • 65 and over
    $50,428.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County, Washington is currently $83,812.00.

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.

5.49% of households in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.41%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.72%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.30%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.04%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    16.14%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.90%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.49%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Walla Walla County is $31,615.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla 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
    15.70%
  • Bachelor's degree
    30.67%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    17.39%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    31.66%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.57%

Employment

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

The total population of Walla Walla County over the age of 16 is 50,462.

Of those people, a total of 56.90% 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 Walla Walla County is 53.20%.

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 4,163 44.80% 14.10%
20 to 24 years 5,404 73.10% 10.90%
25 to 29 years 3,819 75.50% 14.10%
30 to 34 years 3,855 75.20% 3.60%
35 to 44 years 7,269 73.40% 4.30%
45 to 54 years 6,983 72.20% 2.40%
55 to 59 years 3,562 66.00% 5.70%
60 to 64 years 4,087 57.90% 0.80%
65 to 74 years 6,550 26.80% 4.40%
75 years and over 4,770 5.80% 7.30%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Walla Walla 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 41,086 56.80% 5.70%
Black or African American 1,032 34.20% 2.30%
American Indian and Alaska Native 799 61.10% 21.10%
Asian 852 44.60% 10.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 123 24.40% 23.30%
Other 3,451 69.40% 6.00%
Two or more races 3,119 55.80% 9.80%
Hispanic or Latino 9,411 68.60% 9.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 37,258 55.40% 5.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County is 26,861, with median earnings of $38,326.00.

Women in Walla Walla County, Washington earning approximately 68.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 26,861 $38,326.00
Male 14,000 $45,243.00
Female 12,861 $31,093.00

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 2,703 $74,218.00
Business and Financial 907 $70,505.00
Computer and Mathematical 410 $78,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 287 $85,982.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 270 $43,250.00
Community and Social Service 833 $47,358.00
Legal 195 $68,504.00
Educational and Library 2,242 $48,229.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 418 $25,000.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,361 $62,750.00
Healthcare Support 1,328 $27,875.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 390 $22,329.00
Law Enforcement 341 $58,304.00
Food Preparation and Serving 2,102 $25,423.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 784 $11,230.00
Personal Care and Service 673 $20,890.00
Sales 2,503 $33,411.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,906 $32,035.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1,058 $24,305.00
Construction and Extraction 873 $49,507.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 742 $44,906.00
Production 1,546 $48,008.00
Transportation and Material Moving 1,082 $35,111.00

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 1,637 $77,400.00 1,066 $60,662.00
Business and Financial 425 $76,420.00 482 $65,714.00
Computer and Mathematical 265 $76,813.00 145 $80,271.00
Architecture and Engineering 222 $96,538.00 65 $7,031.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 200 $33,000.00 70 $44,250.00
Community and Social Service 446 $48,500.00 387 $46,595.00
Legal 58 $56,071.00 137 $68,683.00
Educational and Library 894 $59,255.00 1,348 $27,500.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 187 $18,949.00 231 $35,110.00
Healthcare Practitioners 328 $91,250.00 1,033 $57,396.00
Healthcare Support 192 $34,671.00 1,136 $21,949.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 312 $22,123.00 78 $40,833.00
Law Enforcement 301 $59,554.00 40 $14,352.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,072 $26,559.00 1,030 $22,158.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 282 $27,500.00 502 $10,542.00
Personal Care and Service 145 $21,338.00 528 $14,453.00
Sales 1,352 $43,051.00 1,151 $26,531.00
Office and Administrative Support 723 $34,879.00 2,183 $31,561.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 891 $28,726.00 167 $20,391.00
Construction and Extraction 873 $49,507.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 704 $45,475.00 38 $30,982.00
Production 1,163 $52,461.00 383 $29,712.00
Transportation and Material Moving 852 $42,845.00 230 $20,167.00

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 22,842 households in Walla Walla County, with an average household size of 2.5 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 14,673 families in Walla Walla County with an average family size of 3.1 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 11,634 873 2,166 8,169
Average Household Size 3.11 3.59 3.35 1.29
Total Families 11,634 873 2,166 0
Average Household Size 3.09 3.33 3.04 0

Poverty

Of the 14,673 families in Walla Walla County, 5.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Walla Walla 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 24,855 housing units in Walla Walla County, Washington.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 22,842 91.90%
Vacant 2,013 8.10%

29.92% of the total 24,855 housing units in Walla Walla County are rental units. This is approximately 7,436 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 14,846 are occupied by the owner - or 59.73% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Walla Walla County is $1,009.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Walla Walla 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
    560
  • Less than $500
    678
  • $500 to $999
    2,988
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    2,391
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    841
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    451
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    83
  • $3,000 or more
    4

Property Value

The median value of a property in Walla Walla County is $277,300.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    681
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    771
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,084
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,947
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    3,862
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    4,369
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,987
  • $1,000,000 or more
    145

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    5,095
  • 1940 to 1949
    1,891
  • 1950 to 1959
    2,452
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,493
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,553
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,990
  • 1990 to 1999
    3,458
  • 2000 to 2009
    3,024
  • 2010 to 2013
    1,860
  • 2014 or later
    39

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 Walla Walla County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,542
  • 1 vehicle available
    6,202
  • 2 vehicles available
    8,417
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    6,681

Commuting to Work

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

15.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Walla Walla 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
    2,044
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    6,677
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    6,087
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    3,713
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,645
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    601
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,025
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    238
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    251
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    411
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    820
  • 90 or more minutes
    189

Summary

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

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