County · Washington

Kittitas County, Washington

Kittitas County, Washington. Kittitas County had 48,803 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than Washington (+3.8%). It holds 10 places (5 cities, villages and boroughs and 5 census-designated) and 14 census tracts. GEOID 53037.

Kittitas County is the county of the Ellensburg, WA micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

48,803

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 44,337 · ACS 2020-2024: 47,172

Median household income

$73,804

±$4,984 (90% margin)
Washington: $98,141

Median home value

$497,400

±$18,977 (90% margin)
Washington: $564,600

Median gross rent

$1,341

±$52 (90% margin)
Washington: $1,760

How many people live in Kittitas County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 44,337 residents in Kittitas County. The Census Bureau estimates 48,803 for July 1, 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than Washington (+3.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 47,172 over 2,297 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −1,170 (45,653)
2021→2022 +1,669 (47,322)
2022→2023 +443 (47,765)
2023→2024 +342 (48,107)
2024→2025 +696 (48,803)

Kittitas County in Washington. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Kittitas County	Washington	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	47,172	7,816,116	+1,275
Households	19,993±500	3,064,820	+1,646
Average household size	2.28±0.06	2.50	−0.08
Housing units	24,674±45	3,306,620	+873

Kittitas County's population since 2000

From 33,362 in 2000 to 48,803 in 2025: up 46.3%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 33,362
2005 (estimate) 37,537
2010 Census 40,915
2015 (estimate) 43,120
2020 Census 44,337
2025 (estimate) 48,803

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Kittitas County?

Kittitas County holds 10 places: 5 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Ellensburg with 21,308 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Kittitas County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Ellensburg	city	18,666	20,874±52	$55,438	$404,100	22.4%	100%
Cle Elum	city	2,157	1,905±315	$63,973	$451,000	9.8%	100%
Kittitas	city	1,438	1,221±304	$80,278	$316,700	11.5%	100%
Roslyn	city	950	1,076±255	$104,800	$565,200	5.0%	100%
South Cle Elum	town	559	579±216	$66,750	$374,300	13.8%	100%
RonaldGEOID 5359635	CDP	439	119±179	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
EastonGEOID 5319700	CDP	407	647±422	$112,500	$769,300	5.6%	100%
Snoqualmie PassGEOID 5365275	CDP	372	428±142	$140,054	$962,100	5.6%	100%
ThorpGEOID 5371225	CDP	232	230±104	$120,739	$372,700	8.7%	100%
VantageGEOID 5374200	CDP	54	0±13	not published	not published	–	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Kittitas County?

The median resident of Kittitas County is 35.8 years old; 16.7% are under 18 and 17.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 79.3%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 10.5%. 4.8% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Kittitas County	Washington	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	35.8±0.5	38.3	+2.0
Under 18 years	16.7%±0.2 pts	21.4%	–
65 years and over	17.0%±0.1 pts	16.6%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10.5%	14.4%	+1.7 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	79.3%±1.1 pts	63.1%	−4.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.1%±0.3 pts	3.8%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.7%±0.4 pts	9.7%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 pts	0.8%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.7%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	6.1%±1.1 pts	6.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.5 pts	0.6%	–
Born outside the United States	4.8%±0.9 pts	15.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	7.8%±1.4 pts	21.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.6%±0.9 pts	7.8%	–
With a disability	16.2%±1.5 pts	13.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.8%±1.3 pts	6.3%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.4%±1.0 pts	92.3%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	37.0%±2.5 pts	39.6%	+4.7 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	13.9%±1.6 pts	15.6%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	3.5%±1.0 pts	2.9%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Kittitas County earn?

Half of Kittitas County's 19,993 households earn less than $73,804 a year (±$4,984), against $98,141 in Washington. In 2015-2019 it was $68,924 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kittitas County	Washington	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$73,804±$4,984	$98,141	no clear change
Mean household income	$102,663±$5,715	$134,588	–
Per capita income	$43,661±$2,057	$53,744	+$7,773
People below the poverty line	14.4%±1.9 pts	9.9%	−3.6 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	15.1%±5.8 pts	11.6%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	12.3%±2.0 pts	11.5%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	90.6%±1.7 pts	93.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Kittitas County?

Owners occupy 61.5% of Kittitas County's occupied homes and renters 38.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $497,400 by its owner (±$18,977). The median renter pays $1,341 a month including utilities, and 47.3% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kittitas County	Washington	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$497,400±$18,977	$564,600	+$144,314
Median gross rent	$1,341±$52	$1,760	+$105
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	47.3%±5.3 pts	40.1%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$2,232±$94	$2,445	–
Owner-occupied homes	61.5%±2.2 pts	63.8%	no clear change
Housing units	24,674±45	3,306,620	+873
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.2%±0.8 pts	0.7%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.1%±2.1 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	70.2%±1.8 pts	61.9%	–
Mobile homes	6.1%±1.1 pts	5.5%	–
Built 2020 or later	2.5%±0.7 pts	2.3%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	11.8%±1.4 pts	9.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Kittitas County building?

Builders took permits for 288 new housing units across Kittitas County in 2025 (240 single-family), 5.9 per 1,000 residents.

2019 411 units
2020 414 units
2021 545 units
2022 551 units
2023 414 units
2024 434 units
2025 288 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Kittitas County get to work?

70.5% of Kittitas County's workers drive alone and 13.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 23.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 6.3%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kittitas County	Washington	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	61.4%±2.0 pts	64.5%	–
Unemployment rate	6.3%±1.7 pts	5.1%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	70.5%±2.3 pts	63.4%	–
Carpooled	7.4%±1.2 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.5%±0.3 pts	3.4%	–
Walked	5.4%±1.2 pts	3.0%	–
Worked from home	13.8%±1.9 pts	19.8%	+9.1 pts
Mean travel time to work	23.3 min±1.6	26.6 min	+2.5 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Kittitas County's census tracts?

Kittitas County is divided into 14 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $38,661 (Tract 9754.04) to $136,815 (Tract 9752.03).

Census tracts of Kittitas County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 9751.0153037975101	Snoqualmie Pass (5%)	2,894	3,302±721	$94,205	$743,800	not published	3.5%
Tract 9751.0253037975102	South Cle Elum (33%)	1,170	1,313±318	$46,563	$510,300	$1,593	7.7%
Tract 9751.0353037975103	Cle Elum (81%)	1,374	1,454±289	$62,701	$417,400	$1,250	9.7%
Tract 9751.0453037975104	Roslyn (46%)	2,027	1,845±287	$108,167	$671,200	$1,494	4.2%
Tract 9752.0153037975201	Easton (8%)	2,842	3,536±636	$81,250	$708,600	$1,341	10.4%
Tract 9752.0253037975202	–	1,528	1,781±264	$118,603	$640,100	$2,185	6.1%
Tract 9752.0353037975203	Thorp (8%)	1,305	1,398±176	$136,815	$669,800	$1,717	2.6%
Tract 975353037975300	Ellensburg (3%)	5,246	5,517±716	$94,235	$539,200	$2,162	10.6%
Tract 9754.0253037975402	Ellensburg (74%)	5,644	4,952±463	$62,455	$375,400	$1,022	11.5%
Tract 9754.0353037975403	Ellensburg (72%)	1,751	2,209±343	$72,301	$538,400	$1,466	28.8%
Tract 9754.0453037975404	Ellensburg (81%)	4,744	5,492±594	$38,661	$424,600	$1,356	35.4%
Tract 975553037975500	Ellensburg (58%)	6,667	6,524±616	$82,303	$417,300	$1,425	19.5%
Tract 975653037975600	Ellensburg (79%)	2,418	2,624±322	$49,606	$338,600	$1,210	25.3%
Tract 975753037975700	Kittitas (17%)	4,727	5,225±482	$115,850	$537,900	$1,408	7.8%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Kittitas County compare with Washington's other counties?

Kittitas County's rank among Washington's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	23rd of 39
Growth 2020-2025	17th of 39
Residents per square mile	27th of 39
Median household income	22nd of 39
Median home value	12th of 39
Median gross rent	12th of 39
Poverty rate	8th of 39
Bachelor's degree or higher	9th of 39
Median age	34th of 39

Every county in Washington

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Kittitas County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.