• county
  • FIPS 53067
  • Largest town: Lacey

Thurston County, Washington

Thurston County had 302,912 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 722.5 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 39 in Washington by population and 32nd by land area.

Population
302,912
#6 of 39 in Washington · #243 in US
Area
722.5 sq mi
#32 of 39 in Washington · #1,235 in US
Density
419 / sq mi
#5 of 39 in Washington · #332 in US
Median household income
$92,357
#6 of 39 in Washington · #215 in US

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

Thurston County within Washington. Pin: Olympia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Thurston County

Thurston County population, land area and income

Thurston County had 302,912 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 722.5 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 39 in Washington by population and 32nd by land area. That works out to 419.3 people per square mile, 4.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Washington has 69,632 residents, so Thurston County is 4.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $92,357 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

302,912

3144th1st

243rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

723 sq mi

3144th1st

1235th of 3,144 (US)

Density

419.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

332nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$92,357

3143rd1st

215th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Washington (39)

Population

302,912

39th1st

6th of 39 (WA)

Land area

723 sq mi

39th1st

32nd of 39 (WA)

Density

419.3 / sq mi

39th1st

5th of 39 (WA)

Median household income

$92,357

39th1st

6th of 39 (WA)

How Thurston County's population changed since 2020

Thurston County gained 6,894 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.3%. That ranks 28th 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, Thurston County recorded 12,817 births and 12,187 deaths, a natural change of +630. Net international migration added +2,737 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,828. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,828 people.

296.0k2020298.2k2021298.6k2022299.5k2023302.9k2024
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
12,817
Deaths
12,187
Net international migration
+2,737
Net domestic migration
+4,828
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3,393

Where Thurston County is

The Census internal point of Thurston County is at 46.935800, -122.830200. 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 Thurston 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: Thurston County internal point. Dark pin: Olympia.

Internal point

Decimal
46.935800, -122.830200
DMS
46°56'8.88"N 122°49'48.72"W
UTM
10N 512924.6E 5198043.8N
Geohash
c22ehbmub
Plus code
84RVW5P9+8W

Towns in Thurston County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Thurston County, 158,918 people together, or 52% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Thurston County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lacey with 58,644.

  1. 01Lacey58,644
  2. 02Olympia56,271
  3. 03Tumwater27,826
  4. 04Yelm11,715
  5. 05Rainier2,506
  6. 06Tenino1,956
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Thurston County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Thurston County. The most populous is Pierce County, WA, with 941,170 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Olympia and the nearest big city

Olympia is 7.7 miles NNW of Thurston County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Tacoma, WA (population 228,202), 28.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Tumwater, WA (population 27,826), 5.5 miles away.

Thurston County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Thurston County is 53067: state code 53 for Washington plus county code 067. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $92,357.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Thurston County, Washington?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 302,912. That is up 6,894 people (2.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 296,018.

What is the FIPS code of Thurston County?

53067. The first two digits (53) are Washington; the last three (067) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Thurston County?

Lacey, with 58,644 residents inside Thurston County in 2024.

Which counties border Thurston County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pierce County, WA; Lewis County, WA; Grays Harbor County, WA; Mason 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.