Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Whitman County had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 39 counties in 2023, at 23.7%. Island County had the lowest, at 7%. The median was 12.3% and the figure for Washington was 9.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest23.7Whitman County
Median12.339 counties
Washington9.9History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 20.5 %Asotin County: 14.9 %Benton County: 11.1 %Chelan County: 9 %Clallam County: 10.8 %Clark County: 8.4 %Columbia County: 9 %Cowlitz County: 13 %Douglas County: 7.9 %Ferry County: 15.6 %Franklin County: 13 %Garfield County: 10.8 %Grant County: 15 %Grays Harbor County: 14.1 %Island County: 7 %Jefferson County: 12.6 %King County: 8.4 %Kitsap County: 8.3 %Kittitas County: 14.3 %Klickitat County: 13.7 %Lewis County: 13 %Lincoln County: 10.4 %Mason County: 12.6 %Okanogan County: 18.5 %Pacific County: 11.6 %Pend Oreille County: 13.6 %Pierce County: 8.9 %San Juan County: 10.5 %Skagit County: 11.6 %Skamania County: 8.3 %Snohomish County: 7.9 %Spokane County: 12.3 %Stevens County: 12.9 %Thurston County: 9.7 %Wahkiakum County: 15.7 %Walla Walla County: 11.7 %Whatcom County: 12.7 %Whitman County: 23.7 %Yakima County: 15.4 %
  • Under 8.6
  • 8.6 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2023

Whitman County: 23.7 %Whitman County23.7Adams County: 20.5 %Adams County20.5Okanogan County: 18.5 %Okanogan County18.5Wahkiakum County: 15.7 %Wahkiakum County15.7Ferry County: 15.6 %Ferry County15.6Yakima County: 15.4 %Yakima County15.4Grant County: 15 %Grant County15Asotin County: 14.9 %Asotin County14.9Kittitas County: 14.3 %Kittitas County14.3Grays Harbor County: 14.1 %Grays Harbor County14.1Klickitat County: 13.7 %Klickitat County13.7Pend Oreille County: 13.6 %Pend Oreille County13.6Franklin County: 13 %Franklin County13Cowlitz County: 13 %Cowlitz County13Lewis County: 13 %Lewis County13Stevens County: 12.9 %Stevens County12.9Whatcom County: 12.7 %Whatcom County12.7Mason County: 12.6 %Mason County12.6Jefferson County: 12.6 %Jefferson County12.6Spokane County: 12.3 %Spokane County12.3Walla Walla County: 11.7 %Walla Walla County11.7Skagit County: 11.6 %Skagit County11.6Pacific County: 11.6 %Pacific County11.6Benton County: 11.1 %Benton County11.1Clallam County: 10.8 %Clallam County10.8Garfield County: 10.8 %Garfield County10.8San Juan County: 10.5 %San Juan County10.5Lincoln County: 10.4 %Lincoln County10.4Thurston County: 9.7 %Thurston County9.7Columbia County: 9 %Columbia County9Chelan County: 9 %Chelan County9Pierce County: 8.9 %Pierce County8.9Clark County: 8.4 %Clark County8.4King County: 8.4 %King County8.4Kitsap County: 8.3 %Kitsap County8.3Skamania County: 8.3 %Skamania County8.3Douglas County: 7.9 %Douglas County7.9Snohomish County: 7.9 %Snohomish County7.9Island County: 7 %Island County7Whitman County: 23.7 %Whitman County23.7Adams County: 20.5 %Adams County20.5Okanogan County: 18.5 %Okanogan County18.5Wahkiakum County: 15.7 %Wahkiakum County15.7Ferry County: 15.6 %Ferry County15.6Yakima County: 15.4 %Yakima County15.4Grant County: 15 %Grant County15Asotin County: 14.9 %Asotin County14.9Kittitas County: 14.3 %Kittitas County14.3Grays Harbor County: 14.1 %Grays Harbor County14.1Klickitat County: 13.7 %Klickitat County13.7Pend Oreille County: 13.6 %Pend Oreille County13.6Franklin County: 13 %Franklin County13Cowlitz County: 13 %Cowlitz County13Lewis County: 13 %Lewis County13Stevens County: 12.9 %Stevens County12.9Whatcom County: 12.7 %Whatcom County12.7Mason County: 12.6 %Mason County12.6Jefferson County: 12.6 %Jefferson County12.6Spokane County: 12.3 %Spokane County12.3Walla Walla County: 11.7 %Walla Walla County11.7Skagit County: 11.6 %Skagit County11.6Pacific County: 11.6 %Pacific County11.6Benton County: 11.1 %Benton County11.1Clallam County: 10.8 %Clallam County10.8Garfield County: 10.8 %Garfield County10.8San Juan County: 10.5 %San Juan County10.5Lincoln County: 10.4 %Lincoln County10.4Thurston County: 9.7 %Thurston County9.7Columbia County: 9 %Columbia County9Chelan County: 9 %Chelan County9Pierce County: 8.9 %Pierce County8.9Clark County: 8.4 %Clark County8.4King County: 8.4 %King County8.4Kitsap County: 8.3 %Kitsap County8.3Skamania County: 8.3 %Skamania County8.3Douglas County: 7.9 %Douglas County7.9Snohomish County: 7.9 %Snohomish County7.9Island County: 7 %Island County7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Whitman County23.7-0.2 pts
2Adams County20.5-0.4 pts
3Okanogan County18.5-0.3 pts
4Wahkiakum County15.7+2 pts
5Ferry County15.6+0.1 pts
6Yakima County15.4-0.1 pts
7Grant County15+0.7 pts
8Asotin County14.9-1.2 pts
9Kittitas County14.3-0.2 pts
10Grays Harbor County14.1-0.8 pts
11Klickitat County13.7-0.1 pts
12Pend Oreille County13.6+0.7 pts
13Franklin County13-0.4 pts
14Cowlitz County13+0.9 pts
15Lewis County13+0.7 pts
16Stevens County12.9-0.4 pts
17Whatcom County12.7-0.2 pts
18Mason County12.6-0.3 pts
19Jefferson County12.6-1.3 pts
20Spokane County12.3-0.1 pts
21Walla Walla County11.7+0.6 pts
22Skagit County11.6-0.4 pts
23Pacific County11.6-1.6 pts
24Benton County11.1+0.5 pts
25Clallam County10.8-0.1 pts
25Garfield County10.8-0.4 pts
27San Juan County10.5-0.5 pts
28Lincoln County10.4-1.2 pts
29Thurston County9.7+0.3 pts
30Columbia County9-0.3 pts
31Chelan County9-0.2 pts
32Pierce County8.9+0.2 pts
33Clark County8.4-0.5 pts
34King County8.4-0.1 pts
35Kitsap County8.30 pts
36Skamania County8.3-0.4 pts
37Douglas County7.90 pts
38Snohomish County7.9+0.3 pts
39Island County7+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People with income in the past 12 months below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status is determined. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The headline single-year rate for states and counties is poverty_rate (SAIPE). Poverty status is not determined for people in institutions, military group quarters or college dormitories, or for unrelated children under 15. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_washington_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/washington-counties?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Washington by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate_acs","level":"province","within":"Washington","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate_acs&level=province&within=Washington&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Whitman County, with 23.7% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Island County, with 7% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Washington: more rankings