List of counties in Washington - wikipedia List of counties in Washington See also : List of United States counties and county - equivalents Counties of Washington AD AS BE CH CM CR CU CZ DG FE FR GA GR GY IS JE KI KP KS KT LE LI MA OK PA PE PI SJ SK SM SN SP ST TH WK WL WM WT YA Location State of Washington Number 39 Populations 2,266 ( Garfield ) -- 1,931,249 ( King ) Areas 175 square miles ( 450 km ) ( San Juan ) -- 2,742 square miles ( 7,100 km ) ( Okanogan ) Government County government Subdivisions cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, Native reservations, census designated place There are 39 counties in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington came from what was the western part of Washington Territory and was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. The first counties were created from unorganized territory in 1845. Eight of the counties were created by Oregon governments prior to the organization of Washington Territory, 26 were created during Washington 's territorial period, and five more were created after Washington became a state ( Benton, Chelan, Grant, Ferry, and Pend Oreille ). Article XI of the Washington State Constitution addresses the organization of counties. New counties must have a population of at least 2,000 and no county can be reduced to a population below 4,000 due to partitioning to create a new county. At least one early county, named Quillehuyte, was disestablished by the territorial government due to low population. To alter the area of a county, the state constitution requires a petition of the `` majority of the voters '' in that area. A number of county partition proposals in the 1990s interpreted this as a majority of people who voted, until a 1998 ruling by the Washington Supreme Court clarified that they would need a majority of registered voters. The Federal Information Processing Standard ( FIPS ) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census `` quick facts '' pages for each county. Washington 's postal abbreviation is WA and its FIPS state code is 53. Contents 1 List 2 Former county names 3 Former counties 4 Proposed counties 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links List County FIPS code County seat Established Origin Etymology Population Area Map Adams County 001 Ritzville 1883 Whitman County John Adams ( 1735 -- 1826 ), 2nd U.S. President, John Quincy Adams ( 1767 - 1848 ), 6th U.S. President 7004187280000000000 ♠ 18,728 7003192500000000000 ♠ 1,925 sq mi ( 7003498600000000000 ♠ 4,986 km ) Asotin County 003 Asotin 1883 Garfield County The Nez Percé name for Eel Creek 7004216230000000000 ♠ 21,623 7002636000000000000 ♠ 636 sq mi ( 7003164700000000000 ♠ 1,647 km ) Benton County 005 Prosser 1905 Yakima and Klickitat Counties Thomas Hart Benton ( 1782 -- 1858 ), a Missouri U.S. Senator 7005175177000000000 ♠ 175,177 7003170300000000000 ♠ 1,703 sq mi ( 7003441100000000000 ♠ 4,411 km ) Chelan County 007 Wenatchee 1899 Okanogan and Kittitas Counties A Native American word meaning `` deep water '', likely referring to Lake Chelan 7004724530000000000 ♠ 72,453 7003292200000000000 ♠ 2,922 sq mi ( 7003756800000000000 ♠ 7,568 km ) Clallam County 009 Port Angeles 1854 Jefferson County A Klallam word meaning `` the strong people '' 7004714040000000000 ♠ 71,404 7003174500000000000 ♠ 1,745 sq mi ( 7003452000000000000 ♠ 4,520 km ) Clark County 011 Vancouver 1845 Original county William Clark ( 1770 -- 1838 ), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 7005425363000000000 ♠ 425,363 7002628000000000000 ♠ 628 sq mi ( 7003162700000000000 ♠ 1,627 km ) Columbia County 013 Dayton 1875 Walla Walla County The Columbia River 7003407800000000000 ♠ 4,078 7002869000000000000 ♠ 869 sq mi ( 7003225100000000000 ♠ 2,251 km ) Cowlitz County 015 Kelso 1854 Original county Cowlitz, an Indian tribe 7005102410000000000 ♠ 102,410 7003113900000000000 ♠ 1,139 sq mi ( 7003295000000000000 ♠ 2,950 km ) Douglas County 017 Waterville 1883 Lincoln County Stephen A. Douglas ( 1813 -- 1861 ), U.S. Senator from Illinois 7004384310000000000 ♠ 38,431 7003182100000000000 ♠ 1,821 sq mi ( 7003471600000000000 ♠ 4,716 km ) Ferry County 019 Republic 1899 Stevens County Elisha P. Ferry ( 1825 -- 1895 ), 1st Governor of Washington State 7003755100000000000 ♠ 7,551 7003220400000000000 ♠ 2,204 sq mi ( 7003570800000000000 ♠ 5,708 km ) Franklin County 021 Pasco 1883 Whitman County Benjamin Franklin ( 1706 -- 1790 ), writer, orator, inventor, and U.S. Founding Father 7004781630000000000 ♠ 78,163 7003124200000000000 ♠ 1,242 sq mi ( 7003321700000000000 ♠ 3,217 km ) Garfield County 023 Pomeroy 1881 Columbia County James A. Garfield ( 1831 -- 1881 ), 20th U.S. President 7003226600000000000 ♠ 2,266 7002710000000000000 ♠ 710 sq mi ( 7003183900000000000 ♠ 1,839 km ) Grant County 025 Ephrata 1909 Douglas County Ulysses S. Grant ( 1822 -- 1885 ), 18th U.S. President 7004891200000000000 ♠ 89,120 7003268100000000000 ♠ 2,681 sq mi ( 7003694400000000000 ♠ 6,944 km ) Grays Harbor County 027 Montesano 1854 Thurston County Grays Harbor, a body of water named after explorer and merchant Robert Gray ( 1755 -- 1806 ) 7004727970000000000 ♠ 72,797 7003191700000000000 ♠ 1,917 sq mi ( 7003496500000000000 ♠ 4,965 km ) Island County 029 Coupeville 1853 Thurston County Whidbey and Camano Islands 7004785060000000000 ♠ 78,506 7002209000000000000 ♠ 209 sq mi ( 7002541000000000000 ♠ 541 km ) Jefferson County 031 Port Townsend 1852 Thurston County Thomas Jefferson ( 1743 -- 1826 ), 3rd U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence 7004298720000000000 ♠ 29,872 7003180900000000000 ♠ 1,809 sq mi ( 7003468500000000000 ♠ 4,685 km ) King County 033 Seattle 1852 Thurston County William R. King ( 1786 -- 1853 ), U.S. Vice President under Franklin Pierce ; officially renamed in 1986 after Martin Luther King, Jr. ( 1929 -- 1968 ) 7006193124900000000 ♠ 1,931,249 7003212600000000000 ♠ 2,126 sq mi ( 7003550600000000000 ♠ 5,506 km ) Kitsap County 035 Port Orchard 1857 King and Jefferson Counties Chief Kitsap ( d. 1860 ), leader of the Suquamish tribe 7005251133000000000 ♠ 251,133 7002396000000000000 ♠ 396 sq mi ( 7003102600000000000 ♠ 1,026 km ) Kittitas County 037 Ellensburg 1883 Yakima County Kittitas tribe word of uncertain meaning, with popular translations ranging from `` white chalk '' to `` land of the plenty '' 7004409150000000000 ♠ 40,915 7003229700000000000 ♠ 2,297 sq mi ( 7003594900000000000 ♠ 5,949 km ) Klickitat County 039 Goldendale 1859 Walla Walla County Klickitat Tribe 7004203180000000000 ♠ 20,318 7003187200000000000 ♠ 1,872 sq mi ( 7003484800000000000 ♠ 4,848 km ) Lewis County 041 Chehalis 1845 Original county Meriwether Lewis ( 1774 -- 1809 ), the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 7004754550000000000 ♠ 75,455 7003240800000000000 ♠ 2,408 sq mi ( 7003623700000000000 ♠ 6,237 km ) Lincoln County 043 Davenport 1883 Whitman County Abraham Lincoln ( 1809 -- 1865 ), 16th U.S. President 7004105700000000000 ♠ 10,570 7003231100000000000 ♠ 2,311 sq mi ( 7003598500000000000 ♠ 5,985 km ) Mason County 045 Shelton 1854 King County Charles H. Mason ( 1830 -- 1859 ), 1st Secretary of Washington Territory 7004606990000000000 ♠ 60,699 7002961000000000000 ♠ 961 sq mi ( 7003248900000000000 ♠ 2,489 km ) Okanogan County 047 Okanogan 1888 Stevens County A Salish Native American word meaning `` rendezvous '' 7004411200000000000 ♠ 41,120 7003526800000000000 ♠ 5,268 sq mi ( 7004136440000000000 ♠ 13,644 km ) Pacific County 049 South Bend 1851 Lewis County The Pacific Ocean 7004209200000000000 ♠ 20,920 7002975000000000000 ♠ 975 sq mi ( 7003252500000000000 ♠ 2,525 km ) Pend Oreille County 051 Newport 1911 Stevens County The Pend d'Oreille Native American tribe 7004130010000000000 ♠ 13,001 7003140000000000000 ♠ 1,400 sq mi ( 7003362600000000000 ♠ 3,626 km ) Pierce County 053 Tacoma 1852 Thurston County Franklin Pierce ( 1804 -- 1869 ), 14th U.S. President 7005795225000000000 ♠ 795,225 7003167600000000000 ♠ 1,676 sq mi ( 7003434100000000000 ♠ 4,341 km ) San Juan County 055 Friday Harbor 1873 Whatcom County San Juan Island 7004157690000000000 ♠ 15,769 7002175000000000000 ♠ 175 sq mi ( 7002453000000000000 ♠ 453 km ) Skagit County 057 Mount Vernon 1883 Whatcom County The Skagit Native American tribe 7005116901000000000 ♠ 116,901 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 sq mi ( 7003449400000000000 ♠ 4,494 km ) Skamania County 059 Stevenson 1854 Clark County A Chinookan word meaning `` swift water '' 7004110660000000000 ♠ 11,066 7003165600000000000 ♠ 1,656 sq mi ( 7003428900000000000 ♠ 4,289 km ) Snohomish County 061 Everett 1861 Island County The Snohomish tribe 7005713335000000000 ♠ 713,335 7003209000000000000 ♠ 2,090 sq mi ( 7003541300000000000 ♠ 5,413 km ) Spokane County 063 Spokane 1879 Stevens County The Spokane Native American tribe 7005471221000000000 ♠ 471,221 7003176400000000000 ♠ 1,764 sq mi ( 7003456900000000000 ♠ 4,569 km ) Stevens County 065 Colville 1863 Walla Walla County Isaac Stevens ( 1818 -- 1862 ), 1st Governor of the Washington Territory 7004435310000000000 ♠ 43,531 7003247800000000000 ♠ 2,478 sq mi ( 7003641800000000000 ♠ 6,418 km ) Thurston County 067 Olympia 1852 Lewis County Samuel Thurston ( 1815 -- 1851 ), the Oregon Territory 's first delegate to U.S. Congress 7005252264000000000 ♠ 252,264 7002727000000000000 ♠ 727 sq mi ( 7003188300000000000 ♠ 1,883 km ) Wahkiakum County 069 Cathlamet 1854 Cowlitz County Leader of Wahkiakum ( `` Tall Timber '' ), Native American tribe 7003397800000000000 ♠ 3,978 7002264000000000000 ♠ 264 sq mi ( 7002684000000000000 ♠ 684 km ) Walla Walla County 071 Walla Walla 1854 Skamania County The Walla Walla Native American tribe, and also another name for running water 7004587810000000000 ♠ 58,781 7003127000000000000 ♠ 1,270 sq mi ( 7003328900000000000 ♠ 3,289 km ) Whatcom County 073 Bellingham 1854 Island County Nooksack word meaning `` noisy water '' 7005201140000000000 ♠ 201,140 7003212000000000000 ♠ 2,120 sq mi ( 7003549100000000000 ♠ 5,491 km ) Whitman County 075 Colfax 1871 Stevens County Marcus Whitman ( 1802 -- 1847 ), a Methodist missionary 7004447760000000000 ♠ 44,776 7003215900000000000 ♠ 2,159 sq mi ( 7003559200000000000 ♠ 5,592 km ) Yakima County 077 Yakima 1865 Ferguson County ( defunct ) The Yakama Native American tribe 7005243231000000000 ♠ 243,231 7003429600000000000 ♠ 4,296 sq mi ( 7004111270000000000 ♠ 11,127 km ) Former County names Chehalis County, originally named for the Chehalis people, was renamed Grays Harbor County in 1915. Sawamish County, originally named for the Sahewamish Native American tribe, was renamed Mason County in 1864. Slaughter County, originally named for Lieutenant William A. Slaughter who was killed during the Indian Wars, was renamed Kitsap County shortly after its formation in 1857. The initial proposals for this county called it Madison County or Kitsap County. Vancouver County, originally named for George Vancouver, was renamed Clark County in 1849. Former counties Ferguson County, named for Washington legislator James L. Ferguson, was established on January 23, 1863 from Walla Walla County and dissolved on January 18, 1865. Yakima County was established in its place. Quillehuyte County was split from Jefferson and Clallam counties in 1868 and returned to those counties a year later. Proposed counties See also : List of U.S. county secession proposals : Washington The representatives at the Cowlitz Convention of 1851 discussed a proposal to form Columbia Territory, which included a number of new counties in what later became Washington. The next session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature created only one of counties : Thurston County ( which was originally proposed as Simmons County ). Buchanan County was proposed in 1856 as a division of Clark County. Other proposed counties during Washington 's statehood have included ( with proposal dates ) : Big Bend ( 1891 ), Palouse ( 1891 and 1903 ), Sherman ( 1891 ), Washington ( 1891 ), McKinley ( 1903 ), Steptoe ( 1903 ), Coulee ( 1905 ). Notes ^ a A first attempt to organize Spokane County in 1858 failed. It was re-organized in 1859 but then annexed into Stevens County in 1864 before finally reappearing in 1879. References Jump up ^ `` Historical Timeline of Events Leading to the formation of Washington State ''. Archived from the original on 2012 - 07 - 10. Retrieved 2008 - 08 - 09. ^ Jump up to : `` Washington Counties ''. Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. HistoryLink.org. Archived from the original on 2008 - 03 - 28. Retrieved 2008 - 05 - 06. Jump up ^ Smith 1913, p. 1 ( As noted on p. 15, Pend Oreille County was not included in this tally because it was organized after the article was first published in 1909. ) Jump up ^ Article XI, Section 3 ( `` New Counties '' ) of the Washington State Constitution ^ Jump up to : Smith 1913, p. 11 Jump up ^ Hal Spencer ( February 6, 1998 ). `` New counties dealt major blow ''. The Spokesman - Review. AP. p. B8. `` Cedar County Committee v. Munro ( No. 64958 - 8 ) ''. FindLaw. February 5, 1998. Jump up ^ `` EPA County FIPS Code Listing ''. US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2008 - 05 - 06. ^ Jump up to : National Association of Counties. `` NACo - Find A County ''. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 04. Jump up ^ Ott, Jen ( July 1, 2008 ). `` Chehalis -- Thumbnail History ''. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2012 - 09 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Chapter 77 ( S.B. 297 ), Changing Name of Chehalis County ''. Session Laws of the State of Washington. 1915. p. 250. Jump up ^ Wilma, David ( April 19, 2006 ). `` Washington Territorial Legislature creates Sawamish ( Mason ) County on April 15, 1854 ''. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ Wilma, David ( July 27, 2006 ). `` Slaughter County is renamed Kitsap County on July 13, 1857 ''. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 16. Jump up ^ Smith 1913, pp. 7 -- 8 Jump up ^ Smith 1913, pp. 1 -- 2 Jump up ^ Holman 1910, pp. 3 -- 5 Jump up ^ Becker, Paula ( September 20, 2005 ). `` Ferguson County is established on January 23, 1863 ''. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Milestones for Washington State History -- Part 2 : 1851 to 1900 ''. HistoryLink.org. March 6, 2003. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ Smith 1913, pp. 3 -- 4 Jump up ^ Meany 1922, pp. 11 -- 12 Jump up ^ Smith 1913, p. 7 Jump up ^ Smith 1913, pp. 13 -- 14 Jump up ^ Smith 1913, p. 9 Works Holman, Frederick V. ( March 1910 ). `` History of the Counties of Oregon ''. Oregon Historical Quarterly. Portland, Oregon : Ivy Press. XI ( 1 ). Meany, Edmond S. ( January 1922 ). `` The Cowlitz Convention : Inception of Washington Territory ''. The Washington Historical Quarterly. Seattle, Washington : University of Washington. XIII ( 1 ). Smith, Charles W. ( October 1913 ) ( 1909 ), The Naming of Counties in the State of Washington, Seattle, Washington : University of Washington External links Washington State and County Maps and Atlases, includes a step - by - step map showing the evolution of the counties List of United States counties and county equivalents States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Federal district Washington, D.C. Locations in the state of Washington Communities Cities Towns Census - designated places ( CDPs ) Unincorporated communities Indian reservations Ghost towns Other Regions Counties Districts State routes National Register of Historic Places Federal lands State of Washington Olympia ( capital ) Topics Cities Towns Census - designated places Federal lands Indian reservations History Geography Earthquakes People Music Parks Highways Symbols Tourist attractions Society Cannabis Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Politics Government Law Governors Legislature Legislative districts Senate House Legislative initiatives Popular initiatives Congressional delegation Congressional districts City governments State agencies Agriculture Archaeology and Historic Preservation Commerce Corrections Early Learning Ecology Employment Security Enterprise Services Financial Institutions Fish and Wildlife Health Information Services Labor and Industries Licensing Liquor and Cannabis Board Military Natural Resources Parks Institute for Public Policy Public Stadium Authority Public Disclosure Commission Retirement Systems Revenue Services for the Blind Social and Health Services Student Achievement Council Transportation Utilities and Transportation Regions Western Kitsap Peninsula Long Beach Peninsula Olympic Peninsula Puget Sound San Juan Islands Skagit Valley Eastern / Inland Central Washington Columbia Plateau Methow Valley Okanogan Country Palouse Yakima Valley Shared Cascade Range Columbia Gorge Columbia River Largest cities Seattle Spokane Tacoma Vancouver Bellevue Kent Everett Renton Yakima Federal Way Spokane Valley Kirkland Bellingham Kennewick Auburn Pasco Marysville Lakewood Redmond Shoreline Richland Metropolitan areas Greater Seattle Greater Spokane Tri-Cities metropolitan area Wenatchee metropolitan area Greater Portland and Vancouver Counties Adams Asotin Benton Chelan Clallam Clark Columbia Cowlitz Douglas Ferry Franklin Garfield Grant Grays Harbor Island Jefferson King Kitsap Kittitas Klickitat Lewis Lincoln Mason Okanogan Pacific Pend Oreille Pierce San Juan Skagit Skamania Snohomish Spokane Stevens Thurston Wahkiakum Walla Walla Whatcom Whitman Yakima Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_counties_in_Washington&oldid=847807465 '' Categories : Lists of counties of the United States by state Washington ( state ) counties Washington ( state ) geography - related lists Talk Contents About Wikipedia Boarisch Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto فارسی Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Simple English Svenska Українська اردو 中文 20 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 June 2018, at 22 : 25 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the largest county in population in washington state
Answer: King County