What is the poverty rate in Washington?
Updated monthly
About 9.9% of Washington’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 776,683 people in Washington were considered in poverty.
9.9%
of the population (2024)
777K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Washington's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 14.1%. Its lowest point was in 2019 at 9.8%. The state's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 0.4 percentage point higher than the previous year.
In 2024, 9.9% of Washington population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 776,683 people living in Washington were in poverty — down 19.7% from the 2013 peak of 967,282.
In 2024, 776,700 people in Washington were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Washington decreased from 17.5% to 11.4%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 12.7% to 9.7%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.4% to 9.1%.
In 2024, 11.4% of children in Washington were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Washington during 2024, six had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race, and two or more races.
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian; and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population shifted the most, decreasing from 30.6% in 2014 to 18.8% in 2024.
In Washington, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population decreased from 30.6% in 2014 to 18.8% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Washington counties ranged from 7% in Island County to 23.7% in Whitman County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — King County — was 8.4%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Washington counties ranged from 7.0% to 23.7%.
Poverty rate
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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.
