Chelan County, Washington

WA · FIPS 53007 Republican

Located in Washington, Chelan County has a population of 80,172 residents and a median age of 40.4 years, making it the #726 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 8.3%. The median home value is $490,100, and the median household income is $82,381, which is 10% above the national median.

80,172
Population
#726 of 3,222
$82,381
Median Income
+9.6% #496 of 3,222
40.4 years
Median Age
+3.9% #2,012 of 3,222
8.3%
Poverty Rate
-34.4% #414 of 3,222

Demographics

Chelan County has a population of 80,172, making it the #726 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.4 years, which is 3.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

86.0%
Native Born
14.0%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Chelan County is $82,381, ranking #496 out of 3,222 counties — 9.6% above the national median. The poverty rate is 8.3% and unemployment stands at 3.7%.

Income#496
$82,381
+9.6%
vs nation
85th percentile
Per Capita#443
$44,369
+7.5%
vs nation
86th percentile
Poverty#414
8.3%
-34.4%
vs nation
87th percentile
Unemployment#1,141
3.7%
-29.8%
vs nation
65th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Chelan County is $490,100 (+73.9% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,226/mo and the homeownership rate is 64.6%.

Home Value#144
$490,100
+73.9%
vs nation
96th percentile
Rent#501
$1,226
+5.4%
vs nation
84th percentile
Homeownership#2,771
64.6%
+0.3%
vs nation
14th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Chelan County, 31.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 7.5% below the national average, ranking #683 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
31.2% −7.5% vs nation
Rank #683 of 3,222
79th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Chelan County is 79.3 years. 17.5% of adults report poor or fair health and 12.8% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#336
79.3
+5.5%
vs nation
89th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,222
17.5%
-10.5%
vs nation
61th percentile
Diabetes#607
9.1%
-18.3%
vs nation
81th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#51
28.9%
-22.5%
vs nation
98th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#688
5.2
-8.2%
vs nation
78th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,040
4.1
-7.6%
vs nation
67th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,287
12.8%
+22.2%
vs nation
27th percentile
Physical Inactivity#119
17.7%
-32.9%
vs nation
96th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,182
13.0%
-9.8%
vs nation
62th percentile

Substance Use

12.2% of adults in Chelan County smoke , 28.8% are obese , and 21.8% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 21.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#212
12.2%
-32.1%
vs nation
93th percentile
Adult Obesity#137
28.8%
-24.0%
vs nation
96th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,299
21.8%
+9.5%
vs nation
27th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#643
21.1
-34.8%
vs nation
70th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Chelan County is 2.6 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 18.5 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 9.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#196
2.6
-67.9%
vs nation
87th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,330
18.5
-6.4%
vs nation
48th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#858
14.1
-21.4%
vs nation
65th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#286
9.2
-54.6%
vs nation
90th percentile

Families & Children

13.0% of children in Chelan County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 4.2 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 16.6 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#123
4.2
-37.8%
vs nation
91th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,090
16.6
-24.0%
vs nation
64th percentile
Child Poverty#783
13.0%
-31.6%
vs nation
75th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Chelan County is 82.0%. The mean commute time is 22.4 min, which is 18.8% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
82.0% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
22.4 min −18.8% vs nation
Rank #2,458 of 3,222
24th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Chelan County voted Republican with a margin of 9.5%. The vote was 43.9% Dem / 53.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 1.7 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +9.5%
43.9% 53.4%
Dem 41,893 votes Rep
2020 REP +7.8%
44.7% 52.5%
Dem 43,306 votes Rep
2016 REP +15.0%
39.9% 54.9%
Dem 21,038 votes Rep
2012 REP +16.9%
40.4% 57.3%
Dem 30,952 votes Rep
2008 REP +12.0%
43.1% 55.1%
Dem 31,958 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Chelan County, Washington

Chelan County, Washington has a total population of 80,172, making it the 726th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Chelan County is 40.4 years, which is 3.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Chelan County is $82,381, which ranks #496 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 9.6% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 8.3%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.7%.

The median home value in Chelan County is $490,100, 73.9% above the national median. Renters in Chelan County pay a median gross rent of $1,226 per month. The homeownership rate is 64.6%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Chelan County, 31.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 7.5% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 89.5% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.4 min.

Chelan County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 65.0% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (29.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).

All data for Chelan County, Washington comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.