The county's name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands.[3] It contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands (Baby, Ben Ure, Deception, Kalamut, Minor, Smith, and Strawberry). Island County was created out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory,[4][5] and is the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 517 square miles (1,340 km2), of which 208 square miles (540 km2) is land and 309 square miles (800 km2) (60%) is water.[6] It is the second smallest county in Washington by land area after San Juan, and second smallest by total area after Wahkiakum.
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 86,857 people, 35,102 households in the county.[1] The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 5.3% Asian, 1.0% American Indian, 3.3% African American, 0.5% Pacific Islander, and 5.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population.[1]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 78,506 people, 32,746 households, and 22,156 families living in the county. The population density was 376.6 inhabitants per square mile (145.4/km2). There were 40,234 housing units at an average density of 193.0 per square mile (74.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% white, 4.4% Asian, 2.2% black or African American, 0.8% American Indian, 0.5% Pacific islander, 1.5% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.5% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
21.4% German
14.3% Irish
14.0% English
6.1% Norwegian
4.5% Scottish
4.3% French
4.1% Dutch
4.0% Swedish
4.0% American
3.6% Mexican
3.5% Italian
2.9% Filipino
2.5% Scotch-Irish
2.1% Polish
1.6% Welsh
1.5% Danish
Of the 32,746 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 43.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,190 and the median income for a family was $68,106. Males had a median income of $46,801 versus $35,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,079. About 5.7% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
These islands are also served by a fare-free/pre-paid bus service called Island Transit.
Politics
Island County is divided in many ways between its north and south. While the north (Oak Harbor) is conservative – Donald Trump received almost 55 percent of the 2016 vote and carried most precincts – most southern and central precincts voted for Hillary Clinton.
The south-central area (Coupeville, Langley) voted over 50 percent for Clinton, just over 30 percent for Trump.[12]
United States presidential election results for Island County, Washington[13]
United States
Washington
