State bird
Willow goldfinch (American goldfinch)
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeOlympia ·
U.S. States / West · Card 047
Washington
The Evergreen State
Mount Rainier is an active volcano covered by glaciers.
Washington and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Washington.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Olympia
- Postal abbreviation
- WA
- Population
- 8,001,020July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 184,661 km²71,298 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- November 11, 1889State number 42
- Region
- West
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
Washington, My Home
Sources: Designation & background
State fruit
Apple
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Idaho, Oregon.
02
Landscape & places
Mount Rainier is an active volcano covered by glaciers. Rivers originate on its slopes, and habitats range from forests to subalpine meadows and high ice-covered terrain. Volcanism, ice and flowing water all shape the mountain.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 172,119 km² of land and 12,542 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state seal, with George Washington's portrait, centered on a green field.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Mount Rainier
How the landscape works
Mount Rainier combines volcanic rock, glaciers, flowing rivers, forests, and alpine environments. Different processes act together: volcanism builds the mountain, while ice and water reshape it. A glacier-covered mountain is not necessarily an extinct volcano. Surface appearance alone cannot establish whether volcanic activity has ended.
History
What the Boldt decision meant for treaty fishing rights
In treaties signed in the 1850s, tribal nations in western Washington ceded land while retaining fishing and other rights. State restrictions later interfered with treaty fishing, and tribal members challenged enforcement through protest and legal action.
In 1974, a federal court decision by Judge George Boldt reaffirmed treaty fishing rights. The ruling and later proceedings established treaty tribes as fisheries co-managers alongside the state. The decision recognized rights reserved in existing treaties; it did not create those rights for the first time. Salmon management today therefore involves a government-to-government relationship.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The Boldt decision interpreted treaty fishing rights and affirmed tribes’ share of the harvest and role in managing fisheries. Treaty rights are not simply recreational privileges granted to individual anglers. They arise from agreements between governments. Co-management means tribal and state authorities share responsibility rather than treating tribes as another interest group asking for access.
Key dates
-
Washington Territory organized
-
Idaho Territory separated
-
Statehood · State number 42
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission provides information about treaty tribes’ work on fisheries and habitat. It connects the Boldt decision with continuing management responsibilities rather than treating treaty fishing only as a past court case.
Continue with Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Washington and Idaho
| Measure | Washington | Idaho |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 8,001,020 | 2,029,733 |
| Land area (km²) | 172,119 | 214,045 |
| People per km² of land | 46.5 | 9.5 |
Washington has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Idaho.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, information was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, professional and business services, and government and government enterprises.
Total economic output was $895.0 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Information: 16.4%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 13.1%
- Professional and business services: 12.3%
- Government and government enterprises: 11.2%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people8.002025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 7,726,812 |
| 2021 | 7,744,316 |
| 2022 | 7,786,828 |
| 2023 | 7,838,655 |
| 2024 | 7,927,958 |
| 2025 | 8,001,020 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars717.522025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 403,471.3 |
| 2011 | 411,575.7 |
| 2012 | 426,447.0 |
| 2013 | 439,472.2 |
| 2014 | 456,186.5 |
| 2015 | 476,715.4 |
| 2016 | 495,724.9 |
| 2017 | 527,169.4 |
| 2018 | 561,785.7 |
| 2019 | 588,794.4 |
| 2020 | 587,167.8 |
| 2021 | 626,122.2 |
| 2022 | 643,017.6 |
| 2023 | 670,977.8 |
| 2024 | 702,232.3 |
| 2025 | 717,520.9 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Washington’s population increased by about 3.5% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 122024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 102020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Washington
Show a hint
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.