Kelso, WA

City in Cowlitz County, WA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

12,684

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

39.9

years ∙ half population younger than 39.9, half older

Diversity Index

41.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

4.6%

foreign-born population

95.4%Native

4.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Kelso is a city within Cowlitz County, Washington, United States.

Location

City in Cowlitz County, WA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC46.116751° N, 122.886466° W

DMS46° 07′ 00.30″ N, 122° 53′ 11.28″ W

Population Density & area

1,558/sq mi (602/km²)

Total Area

8.84 sq mi (22.89 km²)

Land Area

8.14 sq mi (21.07 km²) · 92.1%

Water Area

0.7 sq mi (1.82 km²) · 7.9%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.1% male

Male 50.1%

Female 49.9%

males per 100 females

Kelso 100.4

Cowlitz County 99.6

Washington 101.4

Nativity

4.6%

foreign-born population

95.4%Native

4.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Kelso 4.6%

Cowlitz County 4.3%

Washington 15.4%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

39.9

years ∙ half population younger than 39.9, half older

Kelso

39.9

Cowlitz County

41.5

Washington

38.3

Dependency ratio

58.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Kelso 58.7

Cowlitz County 73.1

Washington 61.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	19.7%	22.5%	21.4%
Working age (18-64)	63%	57.7%	62%
Senior (65+)	17.3%	19.8%	16.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	58.7	73.1	61.3
Child dependency ratio	31.3	38.9	34.5
Old-age dependency ratio	27.5	34.3	26.8

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

75.4%

Black

1.9%

Asian

0.7%

Hispanic

10.3%

Other

11.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

41.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Kelso 41.1%

Cowlitz County 35.1%

Washington 56.5%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Kelso population

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Hispanic or Latino	10.3%	10.5%	14.4%
Mexican	9.3%	8%	10.8%
Puerto Rican	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Cuban	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.8%	2.2%	2.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino	89.7%	89.5%	85.6%
One race	80.3%	83.2%	78.8%
White	75.4%	79.6%	63.1%
Black or African American	1.9%	0.6%	3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.4%	0.8%	0.8%
Asian	0.7%	1.2%	9.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	1.7%	0.4%	0.7%
Some Other Race	0.1%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	9.4%	6.3%	6.8%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

64% family

Family 64%

Non family 36%

% family households

Kelso 64%

Cowlitz County 65.5%

Washington 63.4%

Average household size

2.32

persons per household

Kelso

2.32

Cowlitz County

2.53

Washington

2.5

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Kelso population

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Total households	5,435	43,943	3,064,820
Average houshold size	2.32	2.53	2.5
Family households	3,481	28,801	1,942,412
Average family size	2.81	3.06	3.07
Married couple family	2,333	21,314	1,506,003
Other families	1,148	7,487	436,409
Male householder	438	2,264	145,719
Female householder	710	5,223	290,690
Non-family households	1,954	15,142	1,122,408
One-person households	1,559	11,969	848,664
Male householder	748	5,709	404,881
Senior (65+) living alone	317	2,426	115,764
Female householder	811	6,260	443,783
Senior (65+) living alone	480	3,797	213,754
Other living arrangements	395	3,173	273,744

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

5,656

housing units

Kelso 5,656

Cowlitz County 46,422

Washington 3,306,620

Occupancy status

96.1% occupied

Occupied 96.1%

Vacant 3.9%

vacancy rate

Kelso 3.9%

Cowlitz County 5.3%

Washington 7.3%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

67.1%

Single family houses

67.1%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

27.9%

Mobile homes

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1963

Half of houses were built before 1963, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

23.3%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

35.3%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

26%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

15.4%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.4	5.6	5.5
1–3 rooms	12.2%	11%	18.6%
4–6 rooms	58.5%	55%	47.6%
7+ rooms	29.5%	33.9%	33.8%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.8%	2.4%	4.5%
1 bedroom	10.6%	9.1%	11.8%
2 bedrooms	33.1%	24.2%	24.3%
3 bedrooms	41.3%	45.8%	36.2%
4+ bedrooms	12.2%	18.5%	23.2%
At a glance
Median year built	1963	1976	1986
Total housing units	5,656	46,422	3,306,620

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

56.1% owners

Renter-occupied 43.9%

Owner-occupied 56.1%

homeownership rate

Kelso 56.1%

Cowlitz County 68%

Washington 63.8%

Average household size

2.43

Owner-occupied

2.19

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Kelso 2.43

Cowlitz County 2.63

Washington 2.65

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Total occupied units	5,435	43,943	3,064,820
Year moved in
2020 or later	30.5%	23.7%	27.6%
2010 to 2019	42.7%	44.6%	41.8%
2000 to 2009	12.9%	14.9%	15.4%
1999 or earlier	13.9%	16.8%	15%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.4%	96.8%	96.5%
1.01 to 1.50	2%	2.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.6%	1%	1.4%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.7%	6.2%	7.1%
1 vehicle	35.4%	27.6%	30.5%
2 vehicles	36.7%	37%	36.3%
3 or more vehicles	22.1%	29.1%	26.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas	5.5%	6.7%	36%
Electricity	89.9%	86.1%	58.6%
Solar	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.5%	1.3%
All other fuels	2.6%	5.8%	3.2%
No fuel used	1.9%	0.7%	0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.8%	1.3%	1%
No telephone service available	2%	0.8%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$337,600

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Kelso

$337,600

Cowlitz County

$397,500

Washington

$564,600

Housing Cost Burden

28.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

28.7%

Owners without a mortgage

15.3%

Renters

47.4%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Property value
Median Value	$337,600	$397,500	$564,600
Under $100,000	8.2%	5.7%	4.7%
$100,000 - $200,000	15.7%	6.5%	3.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	16.1%	13.4%	7%
$300,000 - $500,000	49.5%	47%	27.8%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	5.9%	23.1%	40.8%
$1,000,000 and more	4.6%	4.3%	15.9%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	68.3%	64.7%	66.1%
Without a mortgage	31.7%	35.3%	33.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,782	$1,949	$2,445
Without a mortgage	$639	$630	$773
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,220	$1,206	$1,760

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

12.5%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Kelso 12.5%

Cowlitz County 17.6%

Washington 39.6%

Adults without a high school diploma

11.7%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Kelso 11.7%

Cowlitz County 10.1%

Washington 7.7%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,487

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

8.3%

K–12

67.4%

College / Undergraduate

18.3%

Graduate / Professional

6.1%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

17.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Kelso

17.1%

Cowlitz County

19%

Washington

33.2%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Total enrolled (age 3+)	2,487	23,260	1,763,756
Nursery / preschool	8.3%	5%	5.9%
K–12	67.4%	76%	69.1%
Kindergarten	9%	6.7%	5.1%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.2%	22.2%	20.9%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22%	24%	21.4%
High School: Grades 9–12	14.1%	23%	21.6%
College or graduate school	24.4%	19.1%	25.1%
College, undergraduate	18.3%	16.1%	19.6%
Graduate, professional school	6.1%	3%	5.5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	17.1%	19%	33.2%
School type
Public school	90.1%	89.1%	83%
Private school	9.9%	10.9%	17%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

9,106

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

6.5%

HS graduate

30.4%

Some college no degree

31.9%

Associates degree

13.6%

Bachelors degree

9.4%

Graduate or professional degree

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

61% · 39%

9th-12th, no diploma

54.4% · 45.6%

HS graduate

46.5% · 53.5%

Some college no degree

49.5% · 50.5%

Associates degree

40% · 60%

Bachelors degree

56.9% · 43.1%

Graduate or professional degree

35.5% · 64.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Population (25+)	9,106	78,946	5,484,391
Less than 9th grade	5.2%	3.3%	3.4%
9th–12th, no diploma	6.5%	6.8%	4.3%
High school diploma or GED	30.4%	31.8%	21.6%
Some college, no degree	31.9%	27.3%	21%
Associate's degree	13.6%	13.1%	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.5%	17.6%	39.6%
Bachelor's degree	9.4%	11.9%	24%
Graduate or professional	3%	5.7%	15.6%
High School or higher	88.2%	89.9%	92.3%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$50,380

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$34,034

HS graduate

$37,255

Some college or associates

$54,107

Bachelors degree

$54,130

Graduate or professional degree

$79,778

Poverty Rate

7.9%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

22.5%

HS graduate

13.5%

Some college or associates

8.9%

Bachelors degree or higher

7.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Kelso	Cowlitz County	Washington
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$50,380	$51,452	$62,378
Less than high school graduate	$34,034	$35,043	$37,363
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$37,255	$45,020	$46,550
Some college or associate's degree	$54,107	$52,306	$53,700
Bachelor's degree	$54,130	$67,127	$81,898
Graduate or professional degree	$79,778	$85,871	$108,295
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	22.5%	22.3%	20.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	13.5%	12.9%	12.2%
Some college or associate's degree	8.9%	9.1%	8.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.9%	6.9%	4.2%

Insights for Kelso, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

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