How many people live in Thurston County, WA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 302,900 people living in Thurston County, WA. That makes Thurston County the sixth-most populous county in Washington. It is home to 3.8% of people living in the state.
303K
population of Thurston County, WA (2024)
3.8%
County share of the Washington population (2024)
About 302,900 people lived in Thurston County, WA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Thurston County, WA’s age demographics?
About 59,400 Thurston County, WA residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 19.6% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.4% of Washington’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 61,500 Thurston County residents, or 20.3% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 20.9% of Washington’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Thurston County, WA's population is aged 25–44 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Thurston County, WA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 70.2% of the Thurston County, WA population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Thurston County, WA also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Asian (6.7%) than the US overall (6.5%).
In contrast, Thurston County’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounts for 3.8%, below the 12.6% nationwide, and the Hispanic population makes up 11.3% of the county, compared with 20% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Thurston County, WA has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Washington as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Thurston County, WA is Lacey with about 58,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Thurston County, WA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lacey | 58,644 |
| 2. | Olympia | 56,271 |
| 3. | Tumwater | 27,826 |
| 4. | Yelm | 11,715 |
| 5. | Rainier | 2,506 |
| 6. | Tenino | 1,956 |
| 7. | Bucoda | 615 |
| 8. | Balance of Thurston County | 143,379 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
