Adams County is a county in Washington, United States, on the Columbia Basin’s channeled scablands in the southeastern part of the state. It had a population of 20,613 at the 2020 census and covers 1,929.8 square miles (4,998 km2) centred near 47°00′40″N 118°30′46″W.
Ritzville is the county seat, and its postal code is 99169. The county has two incorporated cities, three incorporated towns, and several dozen unincorporated farm communities and former rail sidings. Adams County observes Pacific time and carries FIPS code 53001.
Towns & Villages in Adams County
Adams County lists two incorporated cities (Othello and Ritzville), three incorporated towns (Hatton, Lind and Washtucna), and a long roster of unincorporated communities left over from the Milwaukee Road and Northern Pacific rail-siding era of the early 1900s, when a station and grain elevator every few miles served the county’s wheat farms. Most of these never grew past a store, church and elevator, and several are now abandoned. “Unincorp.” below means no formal municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Othello | City | — | 99344 |
| Ritzville | City · seat | — | 99169 |
| Lind | Town | — | 99341 |
| Washtucna | Town | — | 99371 |
| Hatton | Town | — | — |
| Benge | Unincorp. | — | 99105 |
| Cunningham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Providence | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paha | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Packard | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schrag | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tokio | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marcellus | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marengo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Roxboro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Servia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ralston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bemis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bruce | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Novara | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pizarro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schoonover | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Weber | Unincorp. | — | — |
Othello, in the county’s irrigated southwest corner, is the largest place by population; Ritzville, on the dryland wheat plateau to the northeast, is the seat and historic shipping hub. The remaining names on the list are rural sidings and farm hamlets, most with no post office of their own today.
ZIP Codes
- 99344 — Othello
- 99169 — Ritzville
- 99341 — Lind
- 99371 — Washtucna
- 99105 — Benge (also serves nearby farms toward Cunningham)
Hatton and the smaller unincorporated communities do not have their own ZIP code and are served by the nearest post office town above.
Geography
Adams County sits on the Columbia Plateau, split between rolling dryland wheat country in the north and east and the irrigated farmland of the Columbia Basin Project in the southwest, where canal water reaches Othello and the surrounding fields. Crab Creek crosses the county on its way toward the Columbia River, and the county’s southwestern edge lies within the Channeled Scablands, carved by Ice Age floods.
Adams County borders Lincoln County to the north, Whitman County to the east, Franklin County to the south, and Grant County to the west.
Demographics
Adams County had a population of 20,613 at the 2020 census. Othello and Ritzville are the county’s two largest communities by a wide margin; most of the rest of the population lives on farms or in the small unincorporated places listed above. Median household income in the county runs below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting the county’s agricultural economic base. Population density is roughly 11 people per square mile of land, among the more sparsely settled counties in the state’s wheat belt.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county’s economy on both sides of the irrigation line. Dryland wheat farming has defined the Ritzville area since the 1880s, while the Columbia Basin Project’s canals turned the Othello area into intensive irrigated cropland growing potatoes, onions, corn and other row crops, backed by food-processing plants in and around Othello. Interstate 90 and the BNSF main line still move a large share of the region’s grain and processed food to port.
History
Adams County was created on November 28, 1883, from part of Whitman County, and is named for John Adams, the second U.S. president. Ritzville grew up as a Northern Pacific Railway grain-shipping point and, by 1904, was described as the largest initial shipping point for wheat in the United States. The Columbia Basin Project, approved by Congress in 1943 and bringing irrigation water starting in the mid-1940s and 1950s, later transformed the county’s southwestern farmland and built up Othello as an irrigated-agriculture town distinct from the dryland wheat country around Ritzville.
Getting There
Interstate 90 crosses the northern part of the county through Ritzville, and U.S. Route 395 runs north–south through the county connecting Ritzville to the Tri-Cities. Approximate distances:
- Spokane — about 60 miles northeast via I-90
- Pasco / Tri-Cities — about 50 miles south via US 395
- Moses Lake — about 35 miles west via I-90
- Pullman — about 55 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Spokane International Airport, roughly 60 miles northeast of Ritzville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Adams County, Washington?
It is in the southeastern part of Washington, on the Columbia Plateau between Spokane and the Tri-Cities, bordered by Lincoln, Whitman, Franklin and Grant counties.
What is the population of Adams County?
20,613 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Adams County?
1,929.8 square miles (4,998 km2), including about 4.8 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Adams County?
Ritzville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Adams County?
Two incorporated cities (Othello and Ritzville) and three incorporated towns (Hatton, Lind and Washtucna), plus numerous unincorporated rural communities.
What ZIP codes are in Adams County?
99344 (Othello), 99169 (Ritzville), 99341 (Lind), 99371 (Washtucna) and 99105 (Benge).
What is Adams County’s economy based on?
Dryland wheat farming around Ritzville and irrigated row-crop agriculture and food processing around Othello, made possible by the Columbia Basin Project.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Washington.