Island County, Washington

Island County is a county in Washington, United States, about 50 miles north of Seattle, made up
entirely of Whidbey and Camano islands plus several smaller ones. It had a population of 86,857 at
the 2020 census, an estimated 85,657 by 2024, and covers 208 square miles (540 km2) of land
centred near 48°09′N 122°35′W.

Coupeville is the county seat; its postal code is 98239. Oak Harbor, home to Naval Air Station
Whidbey Island, is the county’s largest city. The county holds 2 cities, 1 incorporated town
and 4 census-designated places across Whidbey and Camano islands, plus a handful of smaller
unincorporated communities, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 53029.

Towns & Villages in Island County

Island County has 17 named places on record: 3 incorporated cities and towns, 4
census-designated places (CDPs) tracked separately by the Census Bureau, and 10 smaller
unincorporated communities with no population count of their own.

Whidbey Island Station is not a civilian town — it is the Census Bureau’s tally for
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, the county’s largest employer, and its 1,671 residents are
sailors and families housed on base rather than in a chartered community. The old version of this
page listed roughly three dozen additional beach-plat names (Sunset Beach, Rockaway Beach, Tyee
Beach and similar) with no Census Bureau record, population, or ZIP of their own — they are
private subdivisions inside the places above rather than distinct communities, so they are left
off this list rather than repeated as if they were separately governed places.

ZIP Codes

• 98277 — Oak Harbor (98278 is the Navy base’s own ZIP)
• 98282 — Camano Island
• 98249 — Freeland
• 98239 — Coupeville
• 98260 — Langley
• 98236 — Clinton
• 98253 — Greenbank

Bayview, Coveland, Keystone, Maxwelton, San de Fuca, Utsalady, Baby Island Heights, Glendale and
Mabana have no ZIP of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest post office town’s
code.

Geography

Island County is a county in Washington, United States, made up entirely of islands in Puget
Sound — Whidbey and Camano, plus seven smaller ones including Smith Island and Strawberry
Island. Of its 517 square miles total, 208 are land and 309 are water, about 60 percent —
the highest water share of any Washington county. Whidbey Island runs roughly 55 miles north to
south and is one of the longest islands in the contiguous United States; Camano Island sits east
of it, connected to the mainland by a bridge at Stanwood rather than a ferry.

Because the county has no land border, every neighbor lies across water. Skagit County lies
north across Deception Pass and Skagit Bay, Snohomish County lies east and south across Possession
Sound and Port Susan, Jefferson County lies southwest across Admiralty Inlet, Clallam County lies
west across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and San Juan County lies northwest across Rosario Strait.
Skagit County, Snohomish County, Jefferson County, Clallam County and San Juan County all border
Island County by water.

Demographics

Island County had a population of 86,857 at the 2020 census, and Data USA’s latest
estimate puts the county near 86,836 residents. Oak Harbor and the Camano CDP are by far the two
largest communities, together holding roughly half the county’s population. Median household
income runs $90,551, below Washington’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $94,605. Population
density works out to roughly 418 people per square mile of land, moderate for a Puget Sound county
and concentrated almost entirely around Oak Harbor, Coupeville and the Freeland-Langley corridor of
south Whidbey.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 4,354 people,
followed by retail trade at 4,106 and manufacturing at 3,388. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,
home to the Navy’s entire fleet of EA-18G Growler electronic-attack squadrons, is by far the
county’s largest single employer and drives Oak Harbor’s economy directly. WhidbeyHealth
Medical Center in Coupeville is the county’s main hospital and a major civilian employer.
South Whidbey’s economy leans on tourism, wineries and small farms around Greenbank and
Freeland. The county’s biggest annual event is the Island County Fair in Langley each August,
running continuously since 1912.

History

The Oregon Territory legislature created Island County on 22 December 1852, carving it out of
Thurston County — making it the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally covered
what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties before they split off. The name
describes the county exactly: it is composed entirely of islands.

Isaac Ebey, the first permanent settler on Whidbey Island, was shot and scalped at his home near
present-day Coupeville on 11 August 1857. A raiding party of Kake Tlingit had come south seeking
revenge for the deaths of a chief and 27 others killed the previous year by the USS Massachusetts;
Ebey, a prominent local leader, was not their original target but was the one they found. Captain
Thomas Coupe laid out Coupeville in the 1850s, and it incorporated on 20 April 1910. In 1978
Congress created Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve around the site — the
first National Historical Reserve in the country, protecting the farmland and settler-era
structures still standing on the bluff above the strait.

Getting There

State Route 20 crosses Deception Pass Bridge onto north Whidbey and runs through Oak Harbor and
Coupeville; SR 525 runs the length of Whidbey Island to the Clinton ferry dock; SR 532 crosses onto
Camano Island from Stanwood. No interstate reaches the county.

• Seattle — about 50 miles south of Oak Harbor by road and ferry
• Everett — about 30 miles southeast of Oak Harbor
• Mount Vernon — about 20 miles north of Oak Harbor
• Bellingham — about 55 miles north

Washington State Ferries runs two routes serving the county: Mukilteo–Clinton, the
busiest route in the system, and Port Townsend–Coupeville across Admiralty Inlet. Paine
Field, about 25 miles southeast in Everett, is the nearest commercial airport; Seattle–Tacoma
International, roughly 55 miles south, carries more routes. Island County has no Amtrak station;
the nearest stop is Amtrak Cascades service in Mount Vernon or Everett.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Island County located?
It occupies Whidbey and Camano islands in Puget Sound, about 50 miles north of Seattle, bordered
entirely by water — Skagit, Snohomish, Jefferson, Clallam and San Juan counties.

What is the population of Island County?
86,857 at the 2020 census, with a recent estimate near 86,836.

How big is Island County?
517 square miles total, of which 208 square miles are land and 309 square miles are water —
about 60 percent of the county is water.

What is the county seat of Island County?
Coupeville, incorporated in 1910, is the county seat; Oak Harbor is the largest city.

How many towns and cities are in Island County?
Three incorporated places — Oak Harbor, Langley and Coupeville — plus four
census-designated places (Camano, Freeland, Clinton and Whidbey Island Station) and smaller
unincorporated communities including Greenbank, Bayview, Coveland and Keystone.

What ZIP codes does Island County use?
98277 and 98278 for Oak Harbor, 98282 for Camano Island, 98249 for Freeland, 98239 for Coupeville,
98260 for Langley, 98236 for Clinton and 98253 for Greenbank.

What is Island County known for?
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, the Navy’s home for its Growler squadrons, and Ebey’s
Landing National Historical Reserve, the first National Historical Reserve in the United States.

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