• county
  • FIPS 27163
  • Largest town: Woodbury

Washington County, Minnesota

Washington County had 283,960 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 384.8 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 84th by land area.

Population
283,960
#5 of 87 in Minnesota · #255 in US
Area
384.8 sq mi
#84 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,586 in US
Density
738 / sq mi
#5 of 87 in Minnesota · #207 in US
Median household income
$111,118
#3 of 87 in Minnesota · #61 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Washington County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Washington County

Washington County population, land area and income

Washington County had 283,960 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 384.8 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 84th by land area. That works out to 738.0 people per square mile, 7.7 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Washington County is 12.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $111,118 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

283,960

3144th1st

255th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

385 sq mi

3144th1st

2586th of 3,144 (US)

Density

738.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

207th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$111,118

3143rd1st

61st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

283,960

87th1st

5th of 87 (MN)

Land area

385 sq mi

87th1st

84th of 87 (MN)

Density

738.0 / sq mi

87th1st

5th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$111,118

87th1st

3rd of 87 (MN)

How Washington County's population changed since 2020

Washington County gained 15,560 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.8%. That ranks 2nd of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Washington County recorded 11,764 births and 8,632 deaths, a natural change of +3,132. Net international migration added +2,558 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +10,868. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 10,868 people.

268.4k2020272.9k2021276.5k2022279.4k2023284.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
11,764
Deaths
8,632
Net international migration
+2,558
Net domestic migration
+10,868
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+4,562

Where Washington County is

The Census internal point of Washington County is at 45.037900, -92.890100. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Washington County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Washington County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
45.037900, -92.890100
DMS
45°02'16.44"N 92°53'24.36"W
UTM
15N 508656.1E 4987166.5N
Geohash
cbjbnnzkz
Plus code
86Q924Q5+5X

Towns in Washington County

20 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Washington County, 267,299 people together, or 94% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Washington County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Woodbury with 80,596.

  1. 01Woodbury80,596
  2. 02Cottage Grove42,760
  3. 03Oakdale30,441
  4. 04Forest Lake20,700
  5. 05Stillwater19,386
  6. 06Hugo16,765
  7. 07Lake Elmo14,161
  8. 08Mahtomedi8,199
  9. 09Newport5,415
  10. 10St. Paul Park5,381
  11. 11Oak Park Heights4,674
  12. 12Scandia3,951
  13. 13Grant3,942
  14. 14Bayport3,785
  15. 15Afton2,949
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Washington County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Washington County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Ramsey County, MN, with 542,015 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 11.8 miles WSW of Washington County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is St. Paul, MN (population 307,465), 12.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Stillwater, MN (population 19,386), 3.2 miles away.

Washington County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Washington County is 27163: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 163. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $111,118.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Washington County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 283,960. That is up 15,560 people (5.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 268,400.

What is the FIPS code of Washington County?

27163. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (163) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Washington County?

Woodbury, with 80,596 residents inside Washington County in 2024.

Which counties border Washington County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Ramsey County, MN; Dakota County, MN; Anoka County, MN; St. Croix County, WI; Chisago County, MN; Polk County, WI; Pierce County, WI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.