Cowlitz County, WA

County

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2024 Population

112,360

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.5

0.973% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.2%

6.16% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$76,531

4.93% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$397,500

8.19% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

48,036

2.72% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Cowlitz 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.

97.6% of the residents in Cowlitz County, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Cowlitz County, WA are Lower Columbia College (584 degrees awarded in 2023) and Stylemaster College of Hair Design (19 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Cowlitz County, WA was $397,500, and the homeownership rate was 68%.

Most people in Cowlitz County, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Cowlitz County, WA was 2 cars per household.

Cowlitz County, WA borders Columbia County, OR, Clark County, WA, Lewis County, WA, Skamania County, WA, and Wahkiakum County, WA.

United States Washington Longview, WA

Population & Diversity

Cowlitz County, WA is home to a population of 112k people, from which 97.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.3% of Cowlitz County, WA residents were born outside of the country (4.83k people).

In 2024, there were 16.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (89.5k people) in Cowlitz County, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.48k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 3.97k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of Cowlitz County, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cowlitz County, WA was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cowlitz County, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
89.5k ± 618
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
5.48k ± 465
White (Hispanic)
3.97k ± 732

10.5%

Hispanic Population

11.8k people

10.5% of the people in Cowlitz County, WA are hispanic (11.8k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cowlitz 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
248,556 ± 12,042 people
India
107,324 ± 7,987 people
China
89,838 ± 7,316 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 248,556 Washington residents, followed by India with 107,324 and China with 89,838.

Foreign-Born Population

4.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.83k people

4.14%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.62k people

As of 2024, 4.3% of Cowlitz County, WA residents (4.83k 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 Cowlitz County, WA was 4.14%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
3,355 ± 338
Gulf War (2001-)
1,853 ± 349
Gulf War (1990s)
1,355 ± 389

Cowlitz County, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.81 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Cowlitz County, WA employs 48k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cowlitz County, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (6,893 people), Manufacturing (6,343 people), and Retail Trade (6,213 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($109,301), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($108,816), and Construction ($72,834).

Employment

Occupations

48k

2024 Value

± 1,808

2.72%

1 Year growth

± 5.23%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cowlitz County, WA grew at a rate of 2.72%, from 46.8k employees to 48k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cowlitz County, WA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,198 people), Management Occupations (4,976 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,073 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cowlitz 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

48k

2024 Value

± 1,808

2.72%

1 Year growth

± 5.23%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cowlitz County, WA grew at a rate of 2.72%, from 46.8k employees to 48k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cowlitz County, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (6,893 people), Manufacturing (6,343 people), and Retail Trade (6,213 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cowlitz County, WA, though some of these residents may live in Cowlitz County, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,655

Median earning men ± $1,651

$37,482

Median earning women ± $1,579

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($88,614), Manufacturing ($77,964), and Construction ($74,030).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($58,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,922), and Public Administration ($54,537).

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

210
Construction
139
Retail Trade
136
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

$564k
Manufacturing
$316k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$215k
Construction

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 Cowlitz 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 2023, universities in Cowlitz County, WA awarded 603 degrees. The student population of Cowlitz County, WA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 756 male students and 1,720 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cowlitz County, WA are White (464 and 77.7%), Hispanic or Latino (58 and 9.72%), Two or More Races (35 and 5.86%), and Asian (14 and 2.35%).

The largest universities in Cowlitz County, WA by number of degrees awarded are Lower Columbia College (584 and 96.8%) and Stylemaster College of Hair Design (19 and 3.15%).

The most popular majors in Cowlitz County, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (268 and 44.4%), Registered Nursing (116 and 19.2%), and Early Childhood Education & Teaching (61 and 10.1%).

The median tuition cost in Cowlitz County, WA for a public four year colleges is $3,988 for in-state students and $5,275 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,476 students enrolled in Cowlitz County, WA, 30.5% men and 69.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,644 records, of which 70.4% were women and 29.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
116 degrees awarded
General Business
17 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
268 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Cowlitz County, WA was Registered Nursing with 116 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lower Columbia College
584 degrees awarded
Stylemaster College of Hair Design
19 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lower Columbia College with 584 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 173 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cowlitz County, WA, which is 0.402 times less than the 430 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 464 degrees mean that there were 8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 58 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 ($3,988) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($358) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($702) 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 Cowlitz County, WA was $397,500 in 2024, which is 1.19 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $367,400 to $397,500, a 8.19% increase. The homeownership rate in Cowlitz County, WA is 68%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cowlitz County, WA have an average commute time of 26.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cowlitz County, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 16.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cowlitz County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

Housing

Property

$397,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,389

$29,876

Median Property Taxes

±$1,177

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 Cowlitz County, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

68%

Homeownership

2024

67.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68% of the housing units in Cowlitz County, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 66.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cowlitz 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.

$76,531

Median Household Income

± $3,128

43.9k

Number of Households

± 1,629

In 2024, the median household income of the 43.9k households in Cowlitz County, WA grew to $76,531 from the previous year's value of $72,932.

The following chart displays the households in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County, WA is from Washington.

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2023, the income inequality in Washington was 0.468 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.276% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 (81.5%)
Worked At Home (8.2%)
Carpooled (8.12%)

In 2024, 81.5% of workers in Cowlitz County, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.12%).

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

26.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cowlitz County, WA have a shorter commute time (26.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.82% of the workforce in Cowlitz County, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cowlitz County, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 16.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cowlitz County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cowlitz County, WA (13.5k out of 111k 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 Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cowlitz County, WA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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, 16.7% of the children was living in poverty in Cowlitz County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.9%.

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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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 259 in Cowlitz County, WA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 21 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

93.8% of the population of Cowlitz County, WA has health coverage, with 43.3% on employee plans, 20.6% on Medicaid, 14.2% on Medicare, 13.9% on non-group plans, and 1.84% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cowlitz County, WA see 1,799 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,799 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1722 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 175 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,799 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cowlitz County, WA

Primary care physicians in Cowlitz County, WA see an average of 1,799 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,799 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.5% under 18 years, 19.1% between 18 and 34 years, 37.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.16%

Uninsured

43.3%

Employer Coverage

20.6%

Medicaid

14.2%

Medicare

13.9%

Non-Group

1.84%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cowlitz County, WA grew by 1.4% from 6.08% to 6.16%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cowlitz 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 number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 49.4 in Cowlitz County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cowlitz 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 39% in Cowlitz County, WA.

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