Whitman County Demographics

A map of Whitman County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	34,562	35,557	73.5%	74.1%
Multiracial	4,045	2,922	8.6%	6.1%
Hispanic	3,827	4,052	8.1%	8.4%
Asian	3,191	3,616	6.8%	7.5%
Native American/Other	731	663	1.6%	1.4%
Black	647	1,163	1.4%	2.4%

Whitman County, Washington has an estimated population of 47,003, a slight decrease from the 47,973 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 73.5% White, 8.6% Multiracial, 8.1% Hispanic, 6.8% Asian, 1.6% Native American/Other, and 1.4% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Whitman County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Whitman has become slightly 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 Whitman County, that probability was 43.3% in 2020 and 44.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Whitman County is ranked the 24th most populous county in Washington, out of 39 counties. Whitman County was ranked the 22nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Whitman County's White Population

34,562 residents of Whitman County, or 73.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Whitman County is considerably higher than in Washington overall, where 63.1% of the population is White. Whitman County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.8%. White residents' share of Whitman County's population has decreased from 74.1% to 73.5%.

Whitman County is less White than neighboring Garfield County (86.4% White), Columbia County (81.2% White), Spokane County (80.9% White), Asotin County (87.1% White), and Latah County (84.5% White).

Whitman County's Black Population

647 residents of Whitman County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Whitman County is slightly lower than in Washington overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Whitman County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's Black population has declined by an estimated 44.4%. Black residents' share of Whitman County's population has decreased from 2.4% to 1.4%.

Whitman County is more Black than neighboring Garfield County (0.8% Black), Columbia County (0.5% Black), Asotin County (0.9% Black), and Latah County (1% Black). Whitman County is less Black than neighboring Spokane County (1.9% Black).

Whitman County's Asian Population

3,191 residents of Whitman County, or 6.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Whitman County is slightly lower than in Washington overall, where 9.7% of the population is Asian. Whitman County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 11.8%. Asian residents' share of Whitman County's population has decreased from 7.5% to 6.8%.

Whitman County is more Asian than neighboring Garfield County (2.1% Asian), Columbia County (1.9% Asian), Spokane County (2.2% Asian), Asotin County (1.1% Asian), and Latah County (2.1% Asian).

Whitman County's Hispanic Population

3,827 residents of Whitman County, or 8.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Whitman County is lower than in Washington overall, where 14.4% of the population is Hispanic. Whitman County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 5.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Whitman County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 8.1%.

Whitman County is more Hispanic than neighboring Garfield County (5% Hispanic), Spokane County (7.1% Hispanic), Asotin County (4.6% Hispanic), and Latah County (5.2% Hispanic). Whitman County is less Hispanic than neighboring Columbia County (8.3% Hispanic).

Whitman County's Native American/Other Population

731 residents of Whitman County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Whitman County is comparable to the share in Washington overall, where 2.1% of the population is Native American/Other. Whitman County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 10.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Whitman County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Whitman County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Garfield County (0% Native American/Other), Columbia County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Latah County (1.2% Native American/Other). Whitman County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Spokane County (1.9% Native American/Other), and Asotin County (1.7% Native American/Other).

Whitman County's Multiracial Population

4,045 residents of Whitman County, or 8.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Whitman County is comparable to the share in Washington overall, where 6.8% of the population is Multiracial. Whitman County ranks 17th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 39 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitman County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 38.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Whitman County's population has increased from 6.1% to 8.6%.

Whitman County is more Multiracial than neighboring Garfield County (5.7% Multiracial), Columbia County (7.5% Multiracial), Spokane County (6% Multiracial), Asotin County (4.6% Multiracial), and Latah County (6.1% 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.