Chelan County, WA

County

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2024 Population

80,172

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

8.27%

8.24% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$82,381

5.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$490,100

7.74% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

36,673

0.369% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Chelan County, WA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

90.8% of the residents in Chelan County, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Chelan County, WA are Wenatchee Valley College (702 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Chelan County, WA was $490,100, and the homeownership rate was 64.6%.

Most people in Chelan County, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Chelan County, WA was 2 cars per household.

Chelan County, WA borders Douglas County, WA, King County, WA, Kittitas County, WA, Okanogan County, WA, Skagit County, WA, and Snohomish County, WA.

United States Washington Wenatchee, WA

Population & Diversity

Chelan County, WA is home to a population of 80.2k people, from which 90.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 14% of Chelan County, WA residents were born outside of the country (11.2k people).

In 2024, there were 4.21 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (52.1k people) in Chelan County, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 12.4k Other (Hispanic) and 8.4k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

90.8%

2024 Citizenship

90.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 90.8% of Chelan County, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chelan County, WA was 90.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chelan County, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chelan County, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
52.1k ± 378
Other (Hispanic)
12.4k ± 1.25k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.4k ± 1.34k

29%

Hispanic Population

23.2k people

29% of the people in Chelan County, WA are hispanic (23.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chelan County, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

14%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

11.2k people

14.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

11.3k people

As of 2024, 14% of Chelan County, WA residents (11.2k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chelan County, WA was 14.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chelan County, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,836 ± 245
Gulf War (2001-)
616 ± 139
Gulf War (1990s)
502 ± 162

Chelan County, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.98 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chelan County, WA.

Health

89.5% of the population of Chelan County, WA has health coverage, with 40.8% on employee plans, 20% on Medicaid, 14.9% on Medicare, 12.2% on non-group plans, and 1.52% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chelan County, WA see 905 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (905 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1158 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 169 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

905 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chelan County, WA

Primary care physicians in Chelan County, WA see an average of 905 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (905 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Chelan County, WA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.8% under 18 years, 19.1% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

10.5%

Uninsured

40.8%

Employer Coverage

20%

Medicaid

14.9%

Medicare

12.2%

Non-Group

1.52%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chelan County, WA declined by 6.9% from 11.3% to 10.5%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Chelan County, WA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 5.18 in Chelan County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chelan County, WA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 28.8% in Chelan County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chelan County, WA.

Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 12.8% in Chelan County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chelan County, WA.

Economy

The economy of Chelan County, WA employs 36.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chelan County, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,857 people), Retail Trade (4,477 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (3,101 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($120,063), Information ($77,917), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,222).

Employment

Occupations

36.7k

2024 Value

± 1,587

−0.369%

1 Year decline

± 6.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chelan County, WA declined at a rate of −0.369%, from 36.8k employees to 36.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chelan County, WA, are Management Occupations (3,499 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,387 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (3,373 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chelan County, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

36.7k

2024 Value

± 1,587

−0.369%

1 Year decline

± 6.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chelan County, WA declined at a rate of −0.369%, from 36.8k employees to 36.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chelan County, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,857 people), Retail Trade (4,477 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (3,101 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chelan County, WA, though some of these residents may live in Chelan County, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,891

Median earning men ± $3,099

$40,483

Median earning women ± $2,235

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($95,000), Public Administration ($87,922), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($78,125).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($63,500), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,500), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($50,352).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Y-Axis

3.62%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.58M people employed in Washington. This represents a 3.62% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Washington.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

317
Construction
172
Other Services (except Public Administration)
160
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$522k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$225k
Construction
$168k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing the state of Washington. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Chelan County, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (57.2%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (39%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.4%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Washington for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Patty Murray

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 1993

Maria Cantwell

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 2001

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing Washington.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Washington over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Chelan County, WA awarded 702 degrees. The student population of Chelan County, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,153 male students and 1,914 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chelan County, WA are Hispanic or Latino (333 and 47.5%), White (251 and 35.8%), Unknown (56 and 7.99%), and Two or More Races (28 and 3.99%).

The largest universities in Chelan County, WA by number of degrees awarded are Wenatchee Valley College (702 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Chelan County, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (363 and 51.7%), Early Childhood Education & Teaching (122 and 17.4%), and Registered Nursing (87 and 12.4%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,080 for in-state students and $4,582 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 3,067 students enrolled in Chelan County, WA, 37.6% men and 62.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 1,313 records, of which 64.1% were women and 35.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
363 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
60 degrees awarded
General Business
17 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Chelan County, WA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 363 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Chelan County, WA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Wenatchee Valley College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

702 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Wenatchee Valley College with 702 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 211 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chelan County, WA, which is 0.43 times less than the 491 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 333 degrees mean that there were 1.33 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 251 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($4,080) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($472) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($762) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chelan County, WA was $490,100 in 2024, which is 1.47 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $454,900 to $490,100, a 7.74% increase. The homeownership rate in Chelan County, WA is 64.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chelan County, WA have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chelan County, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chelan County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.24%.

Housing

Property

$490,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,630

$20,363

Median Property Taxes

±$1,008

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chelan County, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chelan County, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

64.6%

Homeownership

2024

69.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 64.6% of the housing units in Chelan County, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chelan County, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$82,381

Median Household Income

± $4,076

31.5k

Number of Households

± 1,393

In 2024, the median household income of the 31.5k households in Chelan County, WA grew to $82,381 from the previous year's value of $78,306.

The following chart displays the households in Chelan County, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chelan County, WA is from Washington.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.5%)
Carpooled (9.88%)
Worked At Home (9.57%)

In 2024, 72.5% of workers in Chelan County, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.88%) and those who worked at home (9.57%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chelan County, WA have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.22% of the workforce in Chelan County, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chelan County, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chelan County, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chelan County, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chelan County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.24%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.27% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chelan County, WA (6.54k out of 79.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 65 - 74, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chelan County, WA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13% of the children was living in poverty in Chelan County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 148 in Chelan County, WA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 29.8% per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.