• county
  • FIPS 53015
  • Largest town: Longview

Cowlitz County, Washington

Cowlitz County had 113,982 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,141.2 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 39 in Washington by population and 28th by land area.

Population
113,982
#12 of 39 in Washington · #559 in US
Area
1,141.2 sq mi
#28 of 39 in Washington · #544 in US
Density
100 / sq mi
#12 of 39 in Washington · #912 in US
Median household income
$71,996
#18 of 39 in Washington · #858 in US

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

Cowlitz County within Washington. Pin: Olympia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Cowlitz County

Cowlitz County population, land area and income

Cowlitz County had 113,982 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,141.2 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 39 in Washington by population and 28th by land area. That works out to 99.9 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Washington has 69,632 residents; Cowlitz County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,996 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

113,982

3144th1st

559th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,141 sq mi

3144th1st

544th of 3,144 (US)

Density

99.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

912th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,996

3143rd1st

858th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Washington (39)

Population

113,982

39th1st

12th of 39 (WA)

Land area

1,141 sq mi

39th1st

28th of 39 (WA)

Density

99.9 / sq mi

39th1st

12th of 39 (WA)

Median household income

$71,996

39th1st

18th of 39 (WA)

How Cowlitz County's population changed since 2020

Cowlitz County gained 2,961 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.7%. That ranks 26th of 39 in Washington for growth. The median Washington county changed by +3.2%, and the state as a whole by +3.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Cowlitz County recorded 5,253 births and 5,890 deaths, a natural change of -637. Net international migration added +489 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +3,370. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 3,370 people.

111.0k2020111.7k2021112.1k2022113.0k2023114.0k2024
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
5,253
Deaths
5,890
Net international migration
+489
Net domestic migration
+3,370
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+942

Where Cowlitz County is

The Census internal point of Cowlitz County is at 46.196800, -122.678500. It sits in UTM zone 10N. The map shades Washington's 39 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Cowlitz County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

King County: +2.9%Thurston County: +2.3%Garfield County: +4.7%Adams County: +2.1%Kitsap County: +2.0%Mason County: +5.5%Stevens County: +5.2%Walla Walla County: -0.9%Whitman County: +1.2%Pierce County: +1.9%Benton County: +5.2%Columbia County: +1.8%Skamania County: +5.1%Douglas County: +6.4%Kittitas County: +2.9%Klickitat County: +5.7%Pacific County: +3.2%Grant County: +5.3%Grays Harbor County: +2.7%Jefferson County: +2.7%Lincoln County: +8.6%San Juan County: +4.7%Skagit County: +2.2%Island County: -0.6%Ferry County: +4.8%Chelan County: +2.4%Clark County: +4.3%Asotin County: +0.9%Franklin County: +4.2%Whatcom County: +3.3%Snohomish County: +4.1%Pend Oreille County: +6.1%Yakima County: +0.7%Clallam County: +0.8%Wahkiakum County: +7.9%Spokane County: +2.7%Okanogan County: +6.6%Cowlitz County: +2.7%Lewis County: +5.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +2.7%
  3. < +4.2%
  4. < +5.3%
  5. ≥ +5.3%
no data

Orange pin: Cowlitz County internal point. Dark pin: Olympia.

Internal point

Decimal
46.196800, -122.678500
DMS
46°11'48.48"N 122°40'42.60"W
UTM
10N 524806.1E 5115963.9N
Geohash
c20yb3u5z
Plus code
84RV58WC+PJ

Towns in Cowlitz County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cowlitz County, 63,021 people together, or 55% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Cowlitz County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Longview with 38,294.

  1. 01Longview38,294
  2. 02Kelso12,737
  3. 03Woodland (part)6,414
  4. 04Kalama3,131
  5. 05Castle Rock2,445
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cowlitz County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Cowlitz County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Clark County, WA, with 527,269 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Olympia and the nearest big city

Olympia is 58.9 miles N of Cowlitz County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Vancouver, WA (population 198,992), 38.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Kelso, WA (population 12,737), 11.4 miles away.

Cowlitz County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cowlitz County is 53015: state code 53 for Washington plus county code 015. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,996.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cowlitz County, Washington?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 113,982. That is up 2,961 people (2.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 111,021.

What is the FIPS code of Cowlitz County?

53015. The first two digits (53) are Washington; the last three (015) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cowlitz County?

Longview, with 38,294 residents inside Cowlitz County in 2024.

Which counties border Cowlitz County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Clark County, WA; Lewis County, WA; Columbia County, OR; Skamania County, WA; Wahkiakum County, WA.

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.