Clallam County, Washington

Clallam County is a county in Washington, United States, on the northern tip of the Olympic
Peninsula about 80 miles northwest of Seattle across Puget Sound. It had a population of 77,155
at the 2020 census, an estimated 77,813 by 2024, and covers 1,738 square miles (4,500 km2) of
land centred near 48°06′N 123°53′W.

Port Angeles is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 98362. The county holds
3 cities and 9 unincorporated census-designated places, plus several smaller unincorporated
communities with no CDP status of their own, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is
53009.

Towns & Villages in Clallam County

Clallam County has 12 places recognized by the Census Bureau: 3 incorporated cities and 9
census-designated places (CDPs), communities with no local government but a defined population
count. A handful of other named communities — La Push, Joyce, Dungeness and Beaver among
them — are unincorporated and outside any CDP boundary, so the Census Bureau does not report
a separate population for them.

Three CDPs sit inside Sequim’s trade area and share its 98382 ZIP — Bell Hill,
River Road, Jamestown and Blyn all read as separate places on the census map but have no post
office of their own. Neah Bay and La Push both sit on tribal land: Neah Bay on the Makah
Reservation, La Push at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Quileute Reservation.

ZIP Codes

• 98362 — Port Angeles (also covers Port Angeles East)
• 98382 — Sequim (also covers Bell Hill, River Road, Jamestown and Blyn)
• 98331 — Forks
• 98324 — Carlsborg
• 98357 — Neah Bay
• 98326 — Clallam Bay
• 98381 — Sekiu
• 98350 — La Push, the westernmost ZIP code in the contiguous United States
• 98343 — Joyce

Dungeness has no ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under Sequim’s 98382.

Geography

Clallam County occupies the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, bounded by the Strait of
Juan de Fuca to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Cape Alava, inside the county, is
the westernmost point in both Washington and the contiguous United States. The Olympic Mountains
run through the county’s southern interior, much of it inside Olympic National Park, whose
headquarters sits in Port Angeles. Lake Crescent, a glacially carved lake west of Port Angeles,
and the Elwha, Sol Duc and Hoh rivers drain the range toward the coast.

Only Jefferson County
borders Clallam by land, running along the county’s southern and eastern edge; the rest of
the boundary is water — the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, across which lies Vancouver
Island, British Columbia, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Demographics

Clallam County had a population of 77,155 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 77,813 residents in 2024. Port Angeles and Sequim are by far the two largest
communities, together holding more than a third of the county’s population. Median household
income runs $70,370 (2024), well below Washington’s statewide figure of $94,605 (2023 ACS).
Population density works out to roughly 44 people per square mile of land, low even for a
non-metro Washington county, reflecting the large share of the county inside Olympic National
Park and tribal reservations.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 4,745 people,
followed by retail trade at 4,025 and public administration at 2,583. Olympic Medical Center, in
Port Angeles, is the county’s largest hospital employer. Forks built its economy on the
timber industry for decades — it was known as the Logging Capital of the World during the
1950s–70s boom — and later gained tourism from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels,
which are set there; annual visitors climbed from roughly 10,000 before the books to about 73,000
by 2010. Sequim’s rain-shadow climate, under 16 inches of rain a year against the region’s
usual 100-plus, supports commercial lavender farms and the city’s “Lavender Capital of North
America” branding. The county’s biggest annual event is Sequim’s Irrigation Festival
each May, the longest continually running festival in Washington, first held in 1896.

History

Washington’s territorial legislature organized Clallam County on 26 April 1854, taking
its name from a Klallam word meaning “the strong people.” Port Angeles traces its harbor name to
Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza, who charted it in 1791 as “Puerto de Nuestra Señora de
los Ángeles.” Four federally recognized tribes hold reservations in the county today: the
Lower Elwha Klallam near Port Angeles, the Jamestown S’Klallam at Blyn, the Makah at Neah
Bay and the Quileute at La Push, all with historic ties to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Pacific
coastline that predate the county’s 1854 organization.

Getting There

US Route 101 is the county’s only major highway, looping along the coast and through
Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks; no interstate reaches Clallam County.

• Seattle — about 80 miles southeast, via the Bainbridge or Kingston ferries
• Olympia — about 100 miles south
• Port Townsend — about 30 miles east
• Aberdeen — about 100 miles south

William R. Fairchild International Airport, west of Port Angeles, handles general aviation
and regional flights. The MV Coho ferry runs from Port Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia,
year-round. There is no Amtrak service in Clallam County; the nearest station is in Edmonds,
reached via the ferry system and Highway 101.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Clallam County located?
It sits on the northern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, bordered by the Strait of
Juan de Fuca, the Pacific Ocean and Jefferson County.

What is the population of Clallam County?
77,155 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 77,813.

How big is Clallam County?
1,738 square miles (4,500 km2) of land, plus 932 square miles of water in the Strait of Juan de
Fuca and Pacific Ocean.

What is the county seat of Clallam County?
Port Angeles is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and cities are in Clallam County?
Three incorporated cities — Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks — plus nine
census-designated places: Port Angeles East, Carlsborg, Bell Hill, Neah Bay, River Road,
Jamestown, Clallam Bay, Blyn and Sekiu.

What ZIP codes does Clallam County use?
98362 for Port Angeles, 98382 for Sequim and its neighboring CDPs, 98331 for Forks, plus 98324,
98357, 98326, 98381, 98350 and 98343 for the smaller communities.

What is Clallam County known for?
Olympic National Park and Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, plus
Forks’s Twilight-novel fame and Sequim’s lavender farms.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Washington.