Kelso, WA

Census Place

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2024 Population
12,684
US Senator
Patty Murray
Democratic Party
US Senator
Maria Cantwell
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
39.9
3.91% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
12%
38.1% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$66,751
12.3% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$337,600
11.7% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
6,204
12.1% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Kelso, 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.

96.4% of the residents in Kelso, WA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Kelso, WA was $337,600, and the homeownership rate was 56.1%.

Most people in Kelso, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Kelso, WA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesWashingtonCowlitz County, WALongview, WACowlitz, Pacific, & Wahkiakum Counties PUMA, WA

Population & Diversity

Kelso, WA is home to a population of 12.7k people, from which 96.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.64% of Kelso, WA residents were born outside of the country (589 people).

In 2024, there were 10.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.56k people) in Kelso, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 942 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 655 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.4%
2024 Citizenship
96.4%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.4% of Kelso, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kelso, WA was 96.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kelso, WA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    9.56k ± 538
  2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    942 ± 296
  3. White (Hispanic)
    655 ± 312
10.3%
Hispanic Population
1.31k people

In 2024, there were 10.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.56k people) in Kelso, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 942 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 655 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

10.3% of the people in Kelso, WA are hispanic (1.31k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    248,556 ± 12,042 people
  2. India
    107,324 ± 7,987 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

4.64%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
589 people
4.71%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
598 people

As of 2024, 4.64% of Kelso, WA residents (589 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 Kelso, WA was 4.71%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    310 ± 163
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    227 ± 96
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    156 ± 93

Kelso, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.37 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Kelso, WA employs 6.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kelso, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,043 people), Manufacturing (880 people), and Retail Trade (733 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($80,423), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,865), and Construction ($56,935).

Employment

Occupations

6.2k
2024 Value
± 707
12.1%
1 Year growth
± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kelso, WA grew at a rate of 12.1%, from 5.53k employees to 6.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kelso, WA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,016 people), Management Occupations (826 people), and Production Occupations (508 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kelso, WA.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

6.2k
2024 Value
± 707
12.1%
1 Year growth
± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kelso, WA grew at a rate of 12.1%, from 5.53k employees to 6.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kelso, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,043 people), Manufacturing (880 people), and Retail Trade (733 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kelso, WA, though some of these residents may live in Kelso, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$53,185
Median earning men ± $4,432
$37,160
Median earning women ± $6,361

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($81,176), Manufacturing ($70,909), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,450).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($55,334), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,284), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($35,912).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Kelso, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (57.2%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (39%)
    Republican Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Patty Murray
Senator from Washington3
Assumed office on January 3, 1993
Maria Cantwell
Senator from Washington1
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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Kelso, WA was $337,600 in 2024, which is 1.01 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $302,300 to $337,600, a 11.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Kelso, WA is 56.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kelso, WA have an average commute time of 20.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kelso, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$337,600
Median Property Value 2024
±$21,416
$3,051
Median Property Taxes
±$433

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

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

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Rent vs Own

56.1%
Homeownership
2024
66.9%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 56.1% of the housing units in Kelso, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 54.8%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$66,751
Median Household Income
± $5,488
5.44k
Number of Households
± 596

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.44k households in Kelso, WA grew to $66,751 from the previous year's value of $59,462.

The following chart displays the households in Kelso, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Kelso, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (84.5%)
  2. Carpooled (6.75%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.6%)

In 2024, 84.5% of workers in Kelso, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.75%) and those who worked at home (5.6%).

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.

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Commute Time

20.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kelso, WA have a shorter commute time (20.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.06% of the workforce in Kelso, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kelso, WA (1.52k out of 12.6k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kelso, 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.

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Health

90.4% of the population of Kelso, WA has health coverage, with 41.4% on employee plans, 22.5% on Medicaid, 11.7% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.96% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington see 1,202 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,202 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1152 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 186 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.2% under 18 years, 25.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.3% over 64 years.

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

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

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Uninsured People

9.58%
Uninsured
41.4%
Employer Coverage
22.5%
Medicaid
11.7%
Medicare
12.8%
Non-Group
1.96%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kelso, WA grew by 4.04% from 9.21% to 9.58%.

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

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