Skagit County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,523. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. The county was formed in 1883 from

Whatcom County Whatcom County (, ) is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts) of the Canadian province of British Columbia to t ...

and is named for the Upper and

Lower Skagit The Lower Skagit (sometimes called Whidbey Island Skagits) are a tribe of the Lushootseed Native American people living in the U.S. state of Washington. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized tribe, the Swinomish Indians of the S ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

tribes, which have been indigenous to the area prior to European-American settlement. Skagit County comprises the Mount Vernon-

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

, WA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the

Puget Sound region The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the ...

, and it is known for its strong agricultural sector and annual tulip festival.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (9.8%) is water. It is noted for its broad, fertile valley of the

Skagit River The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington (state), Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7&nbs ...

, a center for cultivation of

tulips Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different coloure ...

blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

, and

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

. Over of tulips are grown in Skagit County, comprising 75percent of the American commercial output with $20million in annual gross income.

Geographic features

* Allan Island *

Burrows Island Burrows may refer to: * Plural of burrow * Burrows (surname), people with the surname ''Burrows'' Places * Burrows (electoral district), a provincial electoral district in Manitoba, Canada * Burrows, Saskatchewan, Canada * Burrows, Indiana, Uni ...

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...

Cypress Island Cypress Island is the westernmost part of Skagit County, Washington, and is about halfway between the mainland and offshore San Juan County. It is separated from Blakely Island to the west by Rosario Strait and from Guemes Island to the e ...

Fir Island Fir Island is bounded by North and South Forks of the Skagit River and Skagit Bay of Puget Sound in the southwestern corner of Skagit County, Washington. Triangular in outline, east–west by north–south with an area of nearly , Fir Is ...

Fidalgo Island Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. The island is named afte ...

Guemes Island Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Fidalgo Island and the city of Anacortes, and is accessible by private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County. Gu ...

Hart Island Hart Island, sometimes referred to as Hart's Island, is located at the western end of Long Island Sound, in the northeastern The Bronx, Bronx in New York City. Measuring approximately long by wide, Hart Island is part of the Pelham Islands ar ...

Hope Island Hope Island may refer to: Places Antarctica * Hope Island (Graham Land), an island on d'Urville Island * Nadezhdy Island (Hope Island) Australia * Hope Island, Queensland, a suburb of Gold Coast City * Hope Island (Tasmania) * Hope Islands (Queen ...

* Kiket Island *Pass Island * Samish Island * Sauk River * Sinclair Island * Skagit Island *

* Vendovi Island * Mount Buckner, highest point in Skagit County

Adjacent counties

– north *

Okanogan County Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the most populous city is Omak. It is the largest c ...

– east * Chelan County – southeast *

Snohomish County Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most popul ...

– south *

Island County Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor. The county's name reflects the fact that it is compos ...

– southwest * San Juan County – west

National protected areas

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

(part) *

North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in Washington (state), Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the No ...

(part) *

Ross Lake National Recreation Area Ross Lake National Recreation Area is a US national recreation area in north central Washington just south of the Canada–US border. It is the most accessible part of the North Cascades National Park Complex which also includes North Cascad ...

(part) *

Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail The Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) is a hiking trail running from the Continental Divide in Montana to the Pacific Ocean on Washington's Olympic Coast. Along the way, the PNT crosses three national parks, seven national forests, and two other nat ...

(part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 116,901 people, 45,557 households, and 30,656 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 51,473 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% white, 2.2% American Indian, 1.8% Asian, 0.7% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 8.7% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.9% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: 17.8% German, 14.9% Mexican, 13.7% English, 11.4% Irish, 8.3% Norwegian, 4.8% Swedish, and 4.3% Dutch. Of the 45,557 households, 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.7% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 40.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $54,811 and the median income for a family was $63,468. Males had a median income of $48,979 versus $34,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,925. About 7.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 102,979 people, 38,852 households, and 27,351 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 42,681 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.49%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.44%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.85% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.17% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 11.20% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 13.9% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.2%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, 9.2% Norwegian, 8.2% Irish and 6.7%

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or American ancestry. Three

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Na ...

Native American tribes have reservations in the county: the Swinomish,

Upper Skagit The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe () is a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States, federally-recognized Indian tribe located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The tribe is the successor-in-interest to ap ...

, and

Samish The Samish people are a Central Coast Salish people, who live in the U.S. state of Washington. It may also refer to: Places * Lake Samish in Whatcom County * Samish Bay in Puget Sound * Samish River * Samish Island, Washington, an unincorporated ...

. There were 38,852 households, out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,381, and the median income for a family was $48,347. Males had a median income of $37,207 versus $26,123 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $21,256. About 7.90% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the

, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Skagit County's government is headed by three commissioners, in the system laid out in the state constitution for all counties without charters. Commissioners are "nominated" in the primary by their district, but then are elected in the general by a county-wide vote. Commissioners are therefore said to represent the entire county, and not just their district. The most recent election was on November 5, 2024. The current Skagit County commissioners include Lisa Janicki, a Democrat from District 3, which encompasses Burlington east of Interstate 5, Sedro-Woolley, and the rest of eastern Skagit County; Peter Browning, an independent from District 2, which covers Mount Vernon, Conway, and south county; and Ron Wesen, a Republican from District 1, which includes Anacortes, La Conner, and that area of the county west of Interstate 5 and north of McLean Road.

Politics

Skagit County had been a

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Re ...

county since the election of

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, voting for the winning candidate in each subsequent presidential election until it was carried by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

(though only by a plurality). This democratic trend continued, with Skagit County voting for

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

despite a nationwide rightward trend.

County conservation efforts

In 2006, the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee commissioned a study to evaluate establishing one or more no-take

marine reserves A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

to protect

rockfish Rockfish is a common term for several species of fish, referring to their tendency to hide among rocks. The name rockfish is used for many kinds of fish used for food. This common name belongs to several groups that are not closely related, and ca ...

and other

groundfish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They oc ...

from

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

Transportation

Skagit Transit Skagit Transit is a public transit system in Skagit County, Washington, US. It operates 19 fixed-route bus routes, as well as paratransit and vanpool services across the entire county. The agency was founded in 1993 and is funded by a 0.4 percent ...

provides the county with bus service. It also offers connections to Everett, Bellingham,

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, Island County, Washington (state), Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington stat ...

and

Camano Island Camano Island is a large island in Possession Sound, a section of Puget Sound. It is part of Island County, Washington, and is located between Whidbey Island and the mainland (Snohomish County) by the Saratoga Passage to the west and Port Sus ...

, and operates the

Guemes Island ferry The Guemes Island ferry, the ''M/V Guemes'', carries passengers and vehicles across Guemes Channel between Anacortes, Washington and Guemes Island. The ferry is operated by the Skagit County Public Works Department's Ferry Division. History T ...

linking

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Guemes Island Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Fidalgo Island and the city of Anacortes, and is accessible by private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County. Gu ...

Major highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

* State Route 9 * State Route 20

Communities

Cities

(county seat) *

Sedro-Woolley Sedro-Woolley ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area and had a population of 12,421 at the 2020 census. The city is home to the admini ...

Towns

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

La Conner La Conner is a town in Skagit County, Washington, Skagit County, Washington (state), Washington, United States with a population of 965 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon, Washington, Mount Vernon& ...

* Lyman

Census-designated places

* Alger * Bay View * Big Lake * Clear Lake *

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

* Edison *

Lake Cavanaugh Lake Cavanaugh is a census-designated place (CDP) in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 200 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. Based on per ...

* Lake McMurray *

Marblemount Marblemount is a census-designated place in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 286 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Present-day M ...

* Rockport

Unincorporated communities

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

* Avon * Birdsview * Bow *

Blanchard Blanchard is a French family name. It is also used as a given name. It derives from the Old French word ''blanchart'' which meant "whitish, bordering upon white". It is also an obsolete term for a white horse. Geographical distribution As of 2014, ...

* Cedardale *

Day Creek A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, and night. This daily cycle drive ...

* Dewey *

Fidalgo ''Fidalgo'' (, ), from Galician and Portuguese —equivalent to a nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "nobleman" —is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility and Brazilian nobility that refers to a member of the ...

* Fishtown *

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

* Hoogdal * Milltown * Rexville * Samish Island * Similk Beach * Sterling * Van Horn * Whitney

Reservations

* Swinomish Indian Reservation * Upper Skagit Indian Reservation * Samish Indian Reservation

Ghost towns

* Ehrlich * Skagit City * Whitney

Education

Several school districts serve students in Skagit County:
Text list
/ref> * Anacortes School District * Burlington-Edison School District * Concrete School District * Conway School District * Darrington School District *

La Conner School District LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

* Mount Vernon School District *

Sedro-Woolley School District Sedro-Woolley School District No. 101 is a public school district in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, United States. It serves the city of Sedro-Woolley and the communities of Big Lake, Clear Lake, Lyman, Hamilton, in Skagit County. In May 2021, th ...

Footnotes

External links

Official Skagit County websiteIndependent Skagit County Website
{{Coord, 48.48, -121.78, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WA_source:UScensus1990 1883 establishments in Washington Territory Populated places established in 1883 North Cascades of Washington (state) Western Washington Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin

Geography

Geographic features

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Government

Politics

County conservation efforts

Transportation

Major highways

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Reservations

Ghost towns

Education

See also

Footnotes

Further reading

External links