Thurston County, Washington Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Thurston 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.
-
A
Health Above averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Washington
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 87% of counties in Washington
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Washington
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 299,046 | 7,801,159 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 386.6 | 109.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.46% | 1.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.1 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 118,880 | 3,058,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Thurston County grew by 24.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 299,046 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Thurston County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.9% of residents. That is 0.4 points below Washington as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 60,315 20.2% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 68,521 22.9% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 59,441 19.9% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 53,046 17.7% +1.5 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 50.8% of the people living in Thurston County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Washington 49.7%
- Men 49.2% Washington 50.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Thurston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Thurston County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $96,312 | $98,224 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.44% | 5.64% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Thurston County is about 2% lower than in Washington.
Housing
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $427,911 | $485,016 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,736 | $1,759 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.7% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Thurston County is about 20.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,736 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Thurston County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.2 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 184 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,715 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 20.5% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,879 | 10,119 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,120 | 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 Thurston County is about the same as 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
Thurston County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.7% | 35.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
Thurston County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Thurston County | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.8% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.1% | 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).
Thurston County, WA Compared With Nearby Counties
Thurston County, WA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 299,046 residents against a local median of 112,357. Where Thurston County, WA breaks from the counties next to it is median household income, sitting 15% above the local median of $83,435 at $96,312. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $29,871 on median household income, so Thurston County, WA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Thurston County, WA has the 3rd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, WA | 299,046 | $96,312 #3/6 | $427,911 #3/6 | 22.1 min #4/6 |
| Mason County, WA | 67,950 | $83,435 | $354,523 | 32.0 min |
| Lewis County, WA | 85,146 | $74,810 | $399,467 | 21.7 min |
| Pierce County, WA | 929,755 | $99,574 | $446,511 | 26.9 min |
| Kitsap County, WA | 276,921 | $104,681 | $617,222 | 21.8 min |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 112,357 | $76,590 | $394,545 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Thurston County, Washington.
How big is Thurston County, Washington by population?
About 299,046 people live in Thurston County, Washington, in 118,880 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Thurston County, Washington mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Thurston County, Washington has 387 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Thurston County, Washington?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($427,911 against $96,312), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,736 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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