Население округа Пасифик в Вашингтоне осталось без изменений второй год подряд

Pacific County population unchanged since 2024, report finds Published 7:15 pm Sunday, July 5, 2026 Pacific County saw another year of little-to-no change in its year-round population, according to new state estimates, extending a trend that’s been ongoing since the end of the covid-19 pandemic. The Washington State Office of Financial Management released its annual population estimates for each of the state’s 39 counties last week, and for the second year in a row it found that Pacific County’s population of 23,950 on April 1 was unchanged compared to the year prior. The county is one of just three (alongside the sparsely populated Garfield and Skamania counties) that saw no change to its population compared to 2025, and is the only county whose population has seen no movement since 2024. According to OFM, its population estimates are developed using both state and local government data. The figures are based on the most recent federal census counts, with annual change added by monitoring changes in births, deaths, housing supply, school enrollment, voter registrations, motor vehicle registrations and employment. More people = more state funds The OFM population estimates are used for the distribution of roughly $220 million in state funding to local governments each year. They also help to target the delivery of health care services and monitor the spread of disease, as well as assist in planning for housing and environmental protection. OFM’s findings this decade have differed somewhat from the annual estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, which most recently estimated Pacific County’s population at 24,357 as of 2025 — about 400 more people than OFM’s estimate for that same year. But both the state and federal agencies have found local growth to be slowing for most of this decade, which stood at 23,365 as of the 2020 Census. The census bureau estimates that Pacific County’s population has grown by 4.2% since the beginning of the decade — 22nd highest in the state — while OFM pegs the county’s growth at just 2.5%, which ranks 33rd in the state. Bordering counties have seen stronger growth than Pacific County, especially Lewis County, which has grown by 5.4% since 2020 and had the sixth-highest year-over-year growth in the state from 2025 to 2026. Wahkiakum County’s population has grown by 4% this decade, while Grays Harbor County’s has increased by 3.3%. OFM estimates that Washington’s population grew from about 8.12 million in 2025 to 8.18 million in 2026, an increase of 0.75%. Since 2020, the statewide population has increased by nearly 470,000 people, or 6.1% — more than twice the rate of growth in Pacific County. More housing While the local population stayed static, the county’s housing stock has continued to make incremental gains. OFM estimated that there were 16,777 total housing units in Pacific County as of April 1 of this year, up 0.6% from 2025 but the lowest year-to-year growth for the county this decade. The local housing supply has increased by 4.6% since 2020, nearly twice the local population growth over that same period. The number of single-family units has grown at roughly the overall housing rate, at 4.7%, while multi-family units have increased by 7.8%, growing from 1,135 units in 2020 to 1,223 units in 2026. Mobile homes and other “special” units have grown by 3.6%. But local housing growth is hardly half of the statewide rate this decade, with the number of homes in Washington increasing by 8.8%.