Japanese Population in Washington by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Japanese population in Washington totals 94,908. King County contains the largest Japanese community with 43,873 residents, followed by Pierce County (13,184), Snohomish County (10,080), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Washington by their Japanese populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Japanese population in Washington

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  • 1
    King County
    Japanese population in King County is 43,873
    1.94% of King County population is Japanese
  • 2
    Pierce County
    Japanese population in Pierce County is 13,184
    1.43% of Pierce County population is Japanese
  • 3
    Snohomish County
    Japanese population in Snohomish County is 10,080
    1.21% of Snohomish County population is Japanese
  • 4
    Kitsap County
    Japanese population in Kitsap County is 4,842
    1.75% of Kitsap County population is Japanese
  • 5
    Spokane County
    Japanese population in Spokane County is 4,322
    0.79% of Spokane County population is Japanese

Overview of Japanese population in Washington

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Washington with 94,908 Japanese residents (1.2% of 7.7 million total state population), ranking the state at the 97th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Japanese demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Washington's Japanese population of 1.2% exceeds the national average of 0.49% by a factor of 2.5.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Washington hosts 94,908 Japanese residents, representing 5.8% of the nation's total Japanese population of 1.6 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates Washington's density of 1.4 Japanese Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.46 per square mile by just over triple, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Japanese demographic communities.
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39 Counties in Washington Ranked by Japanese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Japanese population in Washington distributed across multiple counties, led by King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, and Kitsap County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Japanese ancestry. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Washington ranked by Japanese population count
Rank by Japanese Population
County
Japanese Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Washington Japanese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 King County 43,873 1.94% 46.23%
2 Pierce County 13,184 1.43% 13.89%
3 Snohomish County 10,080 1.21% 10.62%
4 Kitsap County 4,842 1.75% 5.10%
5 Spokane County 4,322 0.79% 4.55%
6 Clark County 4,198 0.82% 4.42%
7 Thurston County 3,768 1.27% 3.97%
8 2,429 1.06% 2.56%
9 827 0.39% 0.87%
10 760 0.88% 0.80%
11 751 0.29% 0.79%
12 655 0.84% 0.69%
13 647 1.38% 0.68%
14 608 0.47% 0.64%
15 545 0.54% 0.57%
16 384 0.86% 0.40%
17 362 0.37% 0.38%
18 354 0.32% 0.37%
19 339 0.51% 0.36%
20 239 0.38% 0.25%
21 234 0.70% 0.25%
22 219 0.28% 0.23%
23 194 0.23% 0.20%
24 182 0.42% 0.19%
25 154 0.32% 0.16%
26 123 0.16% 0.13%
27 121 0.28% 0.13%
28 100 0.81% 0.11%
29 99 1.35% 0.10%
30 91 0.39% 0.10%
31 84 0.35% 0.09%
32 68 0.37% 0.07%
33 44 0.32% 0.05%
34 21 0.19% 0.02%
35 6 0.26% 0.01%
36 1 0.00% 0.00%
37 0 - -
37 0 - -
37 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Washington by their Japanese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Japanese population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Japanese ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Japanese alone, while others identify as Japanese along with another race (such as Japanese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Japanese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Japanese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Japanese alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Japanese .
  2. % of Total Washington Japanese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Japanese population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Japanese populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Japanese population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Japanese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.