Thurston County Demographics

A map of Thurston County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	207,943	207,985	69.5%	70.6%
Hispanic	31,748	29,024	10.6%	9.8%
Multiracial	23,615	23,369	7.9%	7.9%
Asian	18,056	16,878	6.0%	5.7%
Black	9,445	8,893	3.2%	3.0%
Native American/Other	8,260	8,644	2.8%	2.9%

Thurston County, Washington has an estimated population of 299,067, a slight increase from the 294,793 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 69.5% White, 10.6% Hispanic, 7.9% Multiracial, 6.0% Asian, 3.2% Black, and 2.8% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Thurston County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Thurston has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Washington overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Thurston County, that probability was 48.1% in 2020 and 49.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Thurston County is ranked the 6th most populous county in Washington, out of 39 counties. Thurston County was ranked the 6th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Thurston County's White Population

207,943 residents of Thurston County, or 69.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Thurston County is higher than in Washington overall, where 63.1% of the population is White. Thurston County ranks 26th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Thurston County's population has decreased from 70.6% to 69.5%.

Thurston County is more White than neighboring Pierce County (61.4% White). Thurston County is less White than neighboring Mason County (74.9% White), Lewis County (79.9% White), Kitsap County (72.6% White), and Cowlitz County (79.6% White).

Thurston County's Black Population

9,445 residents of Thurston County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Thurston County is comparable to the share in Washington overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Thurston County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Black population has grown by an estimated 6.2%. Black residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.2%.

Thurston County is more Black than neighboring Mason County (1% Black), Lewis County (0.7% Black), Kitsap County (2.2% Black), and Cowlitz County (0.6% Black). Thurston County is less Black than neighboring Pierce County (7% Black).

Thurston County's Asian Population

18,056 residents of Thurston County, or 6.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Thurston County is slightly lower than in Washington overall, where 9.7% of the population is Asian. Thurston County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 7.0%. Asian residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 6.0%.

Thurston County is more Asian than neighboring Mason County (1% Asian), Lewis County (1.1% Asian), Kitsap County (4.8% Asian), and Cowlitz County (1.2% Asian). Thurston County is less Asian than neighboring Pierce County (6.8% Asian).

Thurston County's Hispanic Population

31,748 residents of Thurston County, or 10.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Thurston County is slightly lower than in Washington overall, where 14.4% of the population is Hispanic. Thurston County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Thurston County's population has increased from 9.8% to 10.6%.

Thurston County is more Hispanic than neighboring Kitsap County (9.4% Hispanic), and Cowlitz County (10.5% Hispanic). Thurston County is less Hispanic than neighboring Mason County (12.8% Hispanic), Lewis County (11.5% Hispanic), and Pierce County (12.8% Hispanic).

Thurston County's Native American/Other Population

8,260 residents of Thurston County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Thurston County is comparable to the share in Washington overall, where 2.1% of the population is Native American/Other. Thurston County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 4.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Thurston County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Mason County (2.6% Native American/Other), Lewis County (1.9% Native American/Other), Kitsap County (2.4% Native American/Other), and Cowlitz County (1.8% Native American/Other).

Thurston County's Multiracial Population

23,615 residents of Thurston County, or 7.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Thurston County is comparable to the share in Washington overall, where 6.8% of the population is Multiracial. Thurston County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 1.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.9%.

Thurston County is more Multiracial than neighboring Mason County (7.7% Multiracial), Lewis County (4.9% Multiracial), and Cowlitz County (6.3% Multiracial). Thurston County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pierce County (9.2% Multiracial), and Kitsap County (8.6% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.