Island County, Washington


Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor.
The county's name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands. It contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands. Island County was created out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, and is the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties.
Island County comprises the Oak Harbor, Washington Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle–Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the second smallest county in Washington by land area after San Juan, and second smallest by total area after Wahkiakum.

Geographic features

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 86,857 people, 35,917 households, and 24,229 families living in the county. The population density was.
Of the residents, 18.1% were under the age of 18 and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 45.8 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males. 52.2% of residents lived in urban areas and 47.8% lived in rural areas.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 60,92965,20965,85685.15%83.06%75.82%
Black or African American alone 1,6341,6412,2652.28%2.09%2.61%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 6395615430.89%0.71%0.63%
Asian alone 2,9413,3773,9164.11%4.30%4.51%
Pacific Islander alone 2913704140.41%0.47%0.48%
Other race alone 1591105620.22%0.14%0.65%
Mixed race or Multiracial 2,1222,9436,1832.97%3.75%7.12%
Hispanic or Latino 2,8434,2957,1183.97%5.47%8.20%
Total71,55878,50686,857100.00%100.00%100.00%

The racial makeup of the county was 78.2% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.6% Asian, 2.7% from some other race, and 10.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.2% of the population.
Of the 35,917 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 41,922 housing units at an average density of, of which 14.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.7% were owner-occupied and 26.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 78,506 people, 32,746 households, and 22,156 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 40,234 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% white, 4.4% Asian, 2.2% black or African American, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% Pacific islander, 1.5% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.5% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
  • 21.4% German
  • 14.3% Irish
  • 14.0% English
  • 6.1% Norwegian
  • 4.5% Scottish
  • 4.3% French
  • 4.1% Dutch
  • 4.0% Swedish
  • 4.0% American
  • 3.6% Mexican
  • 3.5% Italian
  • 2.9% Filipino
  • 2.5% Scotch-Irish
  • 2.1% Polish
  • 1.6% Welsh
  • 1.5% Danish
Of the 32,746 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 43.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,190 and the median income for a family was $68,106. Males had a median income of $46,801 versus $35,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,079. About 5.7% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The primary islands of Island County, Whidbey Island and Camano Island are served by a total of 3 Washington State Routes, those being SR 20 and SR 525 on Whidbey Island, and SR 532 on Camano Island. SR 20 enters Island County via the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route from the West, and departs via the Deception Pass Bridge in the North. SR 525 enters Island County from the East/South via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry and terminates at an intersection with SR 20, South of Coupeville. SR 532 begins on Camano Island at Terry's Corner and departs Island County to the East via the Camano Gateway Bridge.
These islands are also served by a fare-free/pre-paid bus service called Island Transit.

Government and politics

The county government is led by a board of commissioners with three elected members that represent geographical regions of Island County.
Island County is divided politically between its north and south. While the north is conservative – Donald Trump received almost 55 percent of the 2016 vote and carried most precincts – most southern and central precincts voted for Hillary Clinton. The south-central area voted over 50 percent for Clinton, just over 30 percent for Trump.
In 2024, despite the country and state of Washington shifting to the right, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris improved in the county and had one of the best performances in its history, winning 56.43% of the vote. Harris outperformed Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 landslide performance, and was only exceeded by Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 and 1936 performances.

Communities

Cities

  • Langley
  • Oak Harbor

    Town

  • Coupeville

    Census-designated places

  • Camano
  • Clinton
  • Freeland
  • Whidbey Island Station, formerly listed as Ault Field

    Other unincorporated communities

  • Austin
  • Baby Island Heights
  • Bayview
  • Bells Beach
  • Beverly Beach
  • Bretland
  • Camp Diana
  • Columbia Beach
  • Coveland
  • Glendale
  • Greenbank
  • Juniper Beach
  • Keystone
  • Lagoon Point
  • Mabana
  • Maxwelton
  • Midvale Corner
  • Northgate Terrace
  • Pebble Beach
  • Penn Cove Park
  • Pioneer Blueberries
  • Possession
  • Rodena Beach
  • San De Fuca
  • Sandy Hook
  • Saratoga
  • Sheliegh Estates
  • Smith Prairie
  • Sunlight Beach
  • Sunny Shore Acres
  • Tyee Beach
  • Utsalady
Juniper Beach, a wedding ceremony locale in past years, has given its name to the Juniper Beach Water District.

Education

Island County has four school districts that provide public K–12 education to areas of the county: Coupeville School District, Oak Harbor School District, South Whidbey School District, and Stanwood-Camano School District.