Clallam County, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clallam County
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Location within the U.S. state of Washington
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 Washington's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Washington |
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| Founded | April 26, 1854 | ||
| Seat | Port Angeles | ||
| Largest city | Port Angeles | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,671 sq mi (6,920 km2) | ||
| • Land | 1,738 sq mi (4,500 km2) | ||
| • Water | 932 sq mi (2,410 km2) 35%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 77,155 | ||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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77,616  |
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| • Density | 44.4/sq mi (17.1/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 6th | ||
Clallam County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 77,155, with an estimated population of 77,616 in 2023. The county seat and largest city is Port Angeles; the county as a whole comprises the Port Angeles, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The name is a Klallam word for "the strong people". The county was formed on April 26, 1854. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which forms the Canada–US border, as British Columbia's Vancouver Island is across the strait.
Clallam County was a bellwether, voting for the winning candidate in every presidential election from 1980 to 2020, holding the longest record for predicting official presidential election winners in the entire country. It has also voted the winning candidate in every election since 1920 except for 1968, 1976, and 2024.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,671 square miles (6,920 km2), of which 1,738 square miles (4,500 km2) is land and 932 square miles (2,410 km2) (35%) is water.
Located in Clallam County is Cape Alava, the westernmost point in both Washington and the contiguous United States, with a longitude of 124 degrees, 43 minutes and 59 seconds West (−124.733). Near Cape Alava is Ozette, the westernmost town in the contiguous United States. Clallam County also contains the west-northwesternmost, northwesternmost, and north-northwesternmost points in the contiguous United States.
Geographic features
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Adjacent counties
- Capital Regional District, British Columbia – north
- Jefferson County – south & east
National protected areas
- Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (part)
- Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
- Flattery Rocks National Wildlife Refuge
- Olympic National Forest (part)
- Olympic National Park (part)
- Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 149 | — | |
| 1870 | 408 | 173.8% | |
| 1880 | 638 | 56.4% | |
| 1890 | 2,771 | 334.3% | |
| 1900 | 5,603 | 102.2% | |
| 1910 | 6,755 | 20.6% | |
| 1920 | 11,368 | 68.3% | |
| 1930 | 20,449 | 79.9% | |
| 1940 | 21,848 | 6.8% | |
| 1950 | 26,396 | 20.8% | |
| 1960 | 30,022 | 13.7% | |
| 1970 | 34,770 | 15.8% | |
| 1980 | 51,648 | 48.5% | |
| 1990 | 56,464 | 9.3% | |
| 2000 | 64,525 | 14.3% | |
| 2010 | 71,404 | 10.7% | |
| 2020 | 77,155 | 8.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 77,616 | 8.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 71,404 people, 31,329 households, and 19,713 families living in the county. The population density was 41.1 inhabitants per square mile (15.9/km2). There were 35,582 housing units at an average density of 20.5 units per square mile (7.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 5.1% American Indian, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.4% were German, 16.4% were English, 12.6% were Irish, 6.5% were Norwegian, and 5.2% were American.
Of the 31,329 households, 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.1% were non-families, and 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 49.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,398 and the median income for a family was $54,837. Males had a median income of $44,609 versus $32,125 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,449. About 9.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Clallam Transit operates bus service between and within the towns of the county and to destinations outside Clallam County.
Major highways
U.S. Route 101
Airports
The following public use airports are located in the county:
- William R. Fairchild International Airport (CLM) – Port Angeles
- Forks Airport (S18) – Forks
- Quillayute Airport (UIL) – Quillayute / Forks
- Sekiu Airport (11S) – Sekiu
- Sequim Valley Airport (W28) – Sequim
Communities
Cities
- Forks
- Port Angeles (County seat)
- Sequim
Census-designated places
- Bell Hill
- Blyn
- Carlsborg
- Clallam Bay
- Jamestown
- Neah Bay
- Port Angeles East
- River Road
- Sekiu
Unincorporated communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Clallam para niños
