Korean Population in Washington by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Korean population in Washington totals 102,228. King County contains the largest Korean community with 46,427 residents, followed by Pierce County (20,588), Snohomish County (16,440), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Washington by their Korean populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Korean population in Washington

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  • 1
    King County
    Korean population in King County is 46,427
    2.05% of King County population is Korean
  • 2
    Pierce County
    Korean population in Pierce County is 20,588
    2.23% of Pierce County population is Korean
  • 3
    Snohomish County
    Korean population in Snohomish County is 16,440
    1.97% of Snohomish County population is Korean
  • 4
    Thurston County
    Korean population in Thurston County is 4,554
    1.54% of Thurston County population is Korean
  • 5
    Clark County
    Korean population in Clark County is 3,624
    0.71% of Clark County population is Korean

Overview of Korean population in Washington

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Washington with 102,228 Korean residents (1.3% of 7.7 million total state population), ranking the state at the 91st percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Korean demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Washington's Korean population of 1.3% exceeds the national average of 0.6% by a factor of 2.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Washington hosts 102,228 Korean residents, representing 5.1% of the nation's total Korean population of 2.0 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 1.5 Korean Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 0.57 per square mile by two and three-quarters times, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Korean demographic communities.
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39 Counties in Washington Ranked by Korean Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Korean population in Washington distributed across multiple counties, led by King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, and Thurston County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Korean 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 Korean population count
Rank by Korean Population
County
Korean Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Washington Korean Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 King County 46,427 2.05% 45.42%
2 Pierce County 20,588 2.23% 20.14%
3 Snohomish County 16,440 1.97% 16.08%
4 Thurston County 4,554 1.54% 4.45%
5 Clark County 3,624 0.71% 3.55%
6 Spokane County 1,879 0.35% 1.84%
7 Kitsap County 1,799 0.65% 1.76%
8 1,016 0.48% 0.99%
9 995 0.44% 0.97%
10 633 0.25% 0.62%
11 509 1.08% 0.50%
12 427 0.49% 0.42%
13 381 0.45% 0.37%
14 288 0.64% 0.28%
15 285 0.37% 0.28%
15 285 0.43% 0.28%
16 248 0.19% 0.24%
17 213 0.22% 0.21%
18 204 0.18% 0.20%
19 190 0.31% 0.19%
20 185 0.24% 0.18%
21 176 0.37% 0.17%
22 137 0.14% 0.13%
23 128 0.29% 0.13%
24 116 0.94% 0.11%
25 86 0.20% 0.08%
26 72 0.32% 0.07%
27 68 0.37% 0.07%
28 59 0.18% 0.06%
29 54 0.26% 0.05%
30 51 0.21% 0.05%
31 46 0.06% 0.05%
32 28 0.61% 0.03%
33 22 0.10% 0.02%
34 9 0.07% 0.01%
35 5 0.22% 0.00%
36 1 0.01% 0.00%
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 Korean population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Korean 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 Korean 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 Korean alone, while others identify as Korean along with another race (such as Korean and German).
  • We’ve used the “Korean alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Korean population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Korean 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 Korean .
  2. % of Total Washington Korean Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Korean 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 Korean 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 Korean 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 Korean populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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