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Spokane County, Washington facts for kids

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Spokane County
Spokane County Courthouse
Spokane County Courthouse
Official seal of Spokane County
Seal
Official logo of Spokane County
Logo
Map of Washington highlighting Spokane County
Location within the U.S. state of Washington
Map of the United States highlighting Washington
Washington's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Washington
Founded January 29, 1858 (created)
January 19, 1864 (annexed to Stevens Co.)
October 30, 1879 (separated from Stevens Co.)
Named for Spokane people
Seat Spokane
Largest city Spokane
Area
 • Total 1,781 sq mi (4,610 km2)
 • Land 1,764 sq mi (4,570 km2)
 • Water 17 sq mi (40 km2)  0.9%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 539,339
 • Estimate 
(2021)
546,040 Increase
 • Density 275/sq mi (106/km2)
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional district 5th

Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state after Seattle. The county is named after the Spokane tribe.

Spokane County is part of the Spokane-Spokane Valley metropolitan statistical area, which is also part of the greater Spokane-Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area that includes nearby Kootenai County, Idaho.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,781 square miles (4,610 km2), of which 1,764 square miles (4,570 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (0.9%) is water. The lowest point in the county is the Spokane River behind Long Lake Dam (boundary of Stevens County) at 1538 feet (468 m) above sea level. (There is virtually no change in elevation between the dam and the mouth of the Little Spokane River inside Riverside State Park.) The highest point in the county is the summit of Mount Spokane at 5883 feet (1793 m).

Rivers

Lakes and reservoirs

Summits and peaks

Notable parks

National protected area

Major highways

  • I-90.svg Interstate 90
  • US 2.svg U.S. Route 2
  • US 195.svg U.S. Route 195
  • US 395.svg U.S. Route 395
  • WA-27.svg State Route 27
  • WA-206.svg State Route 206
  • WA-290.svg State Route 290
  • WA-291.svg State Route 291
  • WA-902.svg State Route 902
  • WA-904.svg State Route 904

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 996
1870 2,000 100.8%
1880 4,262 113.1%
1890 37,487 779.6%
1900 57,542 53.5%
1910 139,404 142.3%
1920 141,289 1.4%
1930 150,477 6.5%
1940 164,652 9.4%
1950 221,561 34.6%
1960 278,333 25.6%
1970 287,487 3.3%
1980 341,835 18.9%
1990 361,364 5.7%
2000 417,939 15.7%
2010 471,221 12.7%
2020 539,339 14.5%
2021 (est.) 546,040 15.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 471,221 people, 187,167 households, and 118,212 families were residing in the county. The population density was 267.2/sq mi (103.2/km2). The 201,434 housing units had an average density of 114.2/sq mi (44.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.2% White, 2.1% Asian, 1.7% African American, 1.5% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 13.5% were English, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 187,167 households, 30.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were not families; 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 36.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,250 and for a family was $59,999. Males had a median income of $44,000 versus $33,878 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,127. About 9.1% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Spokane para niños

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