Cowlitz County, Washington Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cowlitz County, WA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 84% of counties in Washington
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 76% of counties in Washington
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 112,357 | 7,801,159 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 96.4 | 109.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.10% | 1.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.7 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 43,938 | 3,058,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cowlitz County grew by 12.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 112,357 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cowlitz County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.1% of residents. That is 0.6 points above Washington as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 22,201 19.8% -1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 22,279 19.8% -3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,624 20.1% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 21,949 19.5% +3.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Washington, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.6% of the people living in Cowlitz County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Washington 49.7%
- Men 50.4% Washington 50.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cowlitz County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cowlitz County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,590 | $98,224 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.77% | 5.64% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cowlitz County is about 22% lower than in Washington.
Housing
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $394,545 | $485,016 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,206 | $1,759 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.0% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cowlitz County is about 27.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,206 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cowlitz County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 157 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.7 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 157 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,872 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,553 | 10,119 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 914 | 1,525 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Washington:
Walla Walla County (12.2 min), San Juan County (12.3 min), Asotin County (13.2 min).
Slowest:
Mason County (32.0 min), Garfield County (28.4 min), Snohomish County (28.3 min).
The average commute time in Cowlitz County is 19 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Washington.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cowlitz County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.3% | 35.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Washington:
King County (0.4), San Juan County (0.4), Jefferson County (0.4).
Lowest:
Adams County (0.2), Yakima County (0.2), Grant County (0.2).
Health
Cowlitz County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cowlitz County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Washington:
King County (0.8), Whitman County (0.8), San Juan County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adams County (0.8), Okanogan County (0.8), Pacific County (0.8).
Cowlitz County, WA Compared With Nearby Counties
Cowlitz County, WA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 112,357 residents against a local median of 299,046. Nothing separates Cowlitz County, WA sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 15% below the local median at 18.9 min against 22.1 min. Cowlitz County, WA has the lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowlitz County, WA | 112,357 | $76,590 #5/6 | $394,545 #5/6 | 18.9 min #1/6 |
| Clark County, WA | 516,710 | $98,079 | $477,323 | 21.7 min |
| Columbia County, OR | 53,499 | $86,781 | $238,667 | 31.7 min |
| Lewis County, WA | 85,146 | $74,810 | $399,467 | 21.7 min |
| Multnomah County, OR | 801,042 | $89,512 | $474,481 | 22.1 min |
| Thurston County, WA | 299,046 | $96,312 | $427,911 | 22.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cowlitz County, Washington.
How many people live in Cowlitz County, Washington?
About 112,357 people live in Cowlitz County, Washington, in 43,938 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Cowlitz County, Washington urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cowlitz County, Washington has 96 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cowlitz County, Washington?
The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($394,545 against $76,590), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,206 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Cowlitz County, Washington have a college degree?
15.3% of adults in Cowlitz County, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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