Adams County, Washington facts for kids

Adams County
Quick facts for kids Adams County
	County
	Adams County
	Adams County Courthouse (erected 1941) in 2014
	Location within the U.S. state of Washington
	; Washington's location within the U.S.;
Country	United States
State	Washington
Founded	November 28, 1883
Named for	John Adams
Seat	Ritzville
Largest city	Othello
Area
• Total	1,930 sq mi (5,000 km2)
• Land	1,925 sq mi (4,990 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2) 0.3%%
Population (2010)
• Total	18,728
• Estimate (2020)	20,027
• Density	10/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district	4th

Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,728. The county seat is at Ritzville, and its largest city is Othello. The county was formed out of Whitman County in November 1883 and is named for the second President of the United States, John Adams.

Adams County's two most populous cities are Ritzville and Othello. Ritzville is located in the northeastern corner of the county at the junction of I-90 and US 395, making it a popular stop for travelers. Ritzville is an hour's drive from Spokane. Othello is located in the southwestern panhandle of the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,930 square miles (5,000 km²), of which 1,925 square miles (4,990 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 90
U.S. Route 395

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	2,098	—
1900	4,840	130.7%
1910	10,920	125.6%
1920	9,623	−11.9%
1930	7,719	−19.8%
1940	6,209	−19.6%
1950	6,584	6.0%
1960	9,929	50.8%
1970	12,014	21.0%
1980	13,267	10.4%
1990	13,603	2.5%
2000	16,428	20.8%
2010	18,728	14.0%
2020 (est.)	20,027	6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Adams County and Franklin County have the highest per capita percentage of Latino residents in the state.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,728 people, 5,720 households, and 4,410 families living in the county. The population density was 9.7 inhabitants per square mile (3.7/km²). There were 6,242 housing units at an average density of 3.2 per square mile (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.5% white, 1.9% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% black or African American, 31.5% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 59.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.4% were German, 6.8% were Irish, 5.6% were English, and 2.2% were American.

Of the 5,720 households, 47.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.9% were non-families, and 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.71. The median age was 29.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,829 and the median income for a family was $43,551. Males had a median income of $35,695 versus $25,160 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,689. About 19.0% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Othello
Ritzville (county seat)

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Keystone
Marcellus (site of Griffith Cemetery) Lat: 47° 15' 24"N, Lon: 118° 23' 07"W, T20N R35E NE corner SE¼ of Sec 3 (8.5 miles north of Ritzville on Marcellus Rd, cemetery on the west).