Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Washington
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Washington using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal Washington residents live.
#39. Asotin County
- Population: 22,370
- Born in Washington: 5,329 (23.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 16,207 (72.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 118 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 716 (3.2% of population)
#38. Klickitat County
- Population: 22,798
- Born in Washington: 7,275 (31.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,898 (56.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 321 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,304 (10.1% of population)
#37. San Juan County
- Population: 18,001
- Born in Washington: 6,052 (33.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,233 (56.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 344 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,372 (7.6% of population)
#36. Skamania County
- Population: 12,118
- Born in Washington: 4,127 (34.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 7,388 (61.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 131 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 472 (3.9% of population)
#35. Clark County
- Population: 504,091
- Born in Washington: 175,195 (34.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 267,523 (53.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7,057 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 54,316 (10.8% of population)
#34. Island County
- Population: 86,510
- Born in Washington: 32,086 (37.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 46,388 (53.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,529 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,507 (7.5% of population)
#33. King County
- Population: 2,254,371
- Born in Washington: 885,496 (39.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 774,059 (34.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 41,477 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 553,339 (24.5% of population)
#32. Wahkiakum County
- Population: 4,476
- Born in Washington: 1,777 (39.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,492 (55.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 10 (0.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 197 (4.4% of population)
#31. Jefferson County
- Population: 33,006
- Born in Washington: 13,158 (39.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 17,711 (53.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 640 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,497 (4.5% of population)
#30. Garfield County
- Population: 2,310
- Born in Washington: 945 (40.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,294 (56.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 39 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 32 (1.4% of population)
#29. Kitsap County
- Population: 275,411
- Born in Washington: 116,018 (42.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 133,554 (48.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7,097 (2.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 18,742 (6.8% of population)
#28. Pacific County
- Population: 23,396
- Born in Washington: 10,136 (43.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,400 (48.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 187 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,673 (7.2% of population)
#27. Thurston County
- Population: 294,272
- Born in Washington: 135,011 (45.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 125,817 (42.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 8,782 (3.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 24,662 (8.4% of population)
#26. Clallam County
- Population: 77,333
- Born in Washington: 36,657 (47.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 35,761 (46.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,037 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,878 (5.0% of population)
#25. Whitman County
- Population: 47,141
- Born in Washington: 22,766 (48.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 19,011 (40.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 899 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,465 (9.5% of population)
#24. Snohomish County
- Population: 828,337
- Born in Washington: 412,001 (49.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 255,054 (30.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 14,313 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 146,969 (17.7% of population)
#23. Walla Walla County
- Population: 62,150
- Born in Washington: 30,975 (49.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 23,264 (37.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,694 (2.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,217 (10.0% of population)
#22. Pierce County
- Population: 918,993
- Born in Washington: 461,572 (50.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 332,997 (36.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 28,186 (3.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 96,238 (10.5% of population)
#21. Whatcom County
- Population: 226,523
- Born in Washington: 116,422 (51.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 82,556 (36.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5,166 (2.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 22,379 (9.9% of population)
#20. Pend Oreille County
- Population: 13,570
- Born in Washington: 7,010 (51.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 6,234 (45.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 99 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 227 (1.7% of population)
#19. Franklin County
- Population: 96,692
- Born in Washington: 50,176 (51.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 23,379 (24.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,685 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 21,452 (22.2% of population)
#18. Benton County
- Population: 207,560
- Born in Washington: 108,780 (52.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 72,447 (34.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,334 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 23,999 (11.6% of population)
#17. Cowlitz County
- Population: 110,621
- Born in Washington: 58,151 (52.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 46,832 (42.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,064 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,574 (4.1% of population)
#16. Spokane County
- Population: 538,711
- Born in Washington: 291,883 (54.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 211,696 (39.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7,077 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 28,055 (5.2% of population)
#15. Mason County
- Population: 66,053
- Born in Washington: 35,806 (54.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 24,842 (37.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,175 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,230 (6.4% of population)
#14. Adams County
- Population: 20,557
- Born in Washington: 11,190 (54.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,594 (22.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 69 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,704 (22.9% of population)
#13. Skagit County
- Population: 129,480
- Born in Washington: 70,752 (54.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 44,476 (34.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,058 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 12,194 (9.4% of population)
#12. Ferry County
- Population: 7,260
- Born in Washington: 4,070 (56.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,797 (38.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 227 (3.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 166 (2.3% of population)
#11. Chelan County
- Population: 79,076
- Born in Washington: 45,441 (57.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 21,600 (27.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 966 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 11,069 (14.0% of population)
#10. Douglas County
- Population: 43,189
- Born in Washington: 24,969 (57.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,166 (25.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 400 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,654 (15.4% of population)
#9. Stevens County
- Population: 46,774
- Born in Washington: 27,181 (58.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 18,176 (38.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 406 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,011 (2.2% of population)
#8. Grant County
- Population: 99,145
- Born in Washington: 58,149 (58.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 23,865 (24.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 808 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 16,323 (16.5% of population)
#7. Lewis County
- Population: 82,663
- Born in Washington: 49,920 (60.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 27,914 (33.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 691 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 4,138 (5.0% of population)
#6. Yakima County
- Population: 256,143
- Born in Washington: 155,314 (60.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 50,435 (19.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,375 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 48,019 (18.7% of population)
#5. Okanogan County
- Population: 42,336
- Born in Washington: 25,682 (60.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,860 (25.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 617 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 5,177 (12.2% of population)
#4. Columbia County
- Population: 3,980
- Born in Washington: 2,445 (61.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,375 (34.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 17 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 143 (3.6% of population)
#3. Grays Harbor County
- Population: 75,672
- Born in Washington: 47,965 (63.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 23,038 (30.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,078 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,591 (4.7% of population)
#2. Lincoln County
- Population: 11,036
- Born in Washington: 7,131 (64.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,587 (32.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 92 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 226 (2.0% of population)
#1. Kittitas County
- Population: 44,424
- Born in Washington: 29,316 (66.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,157 (29.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 450 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,501 (3.4% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
