Mason County, Washington

Mason County is a county in Washington, United States, on the southern reaches of Hood Canal and Puget Sound. It had a population of 65,726 at the 2020 census and covers 1,051 square miles (2,720 km2) in all — 959 square miles (2,480 km2) of land and 92 square miles (240 km2) of water — centred near 47°21′N 123°11′W.

Shelton is the county seat and its only incorporated city; its postal code is 98584. The county has one city, six unincorporated census-designated places, and dozens of smaller communities and localities, all in the Pacific time zone. FIPS code: 53045.

Towns & Villages in Mason County

Mason County has just one incorporated city — Shelton — and everywhere else is unincorporated. Six places are recognized census-designated places (CDP); the rest are smaller communities, rail-era localities, and waterfront settlements without their own census tally. Populations below marked — have no separate figure from the Census Bureau.

Harstene Island (historically spelled Hartstene) is Mason County’s largest island, connected to the mainland at Rocky Bay by a bridge. Skokomish sits on the Skokomish Indian Reservation at the head of Hood Canal, home of the Skokomish Tribe; the Squaxin Island Tribe holds a separate reservation on Squaxin Island near Kamilche. A handful of names from older maps of the county — Ayock, Ballow, Bayshore, Brockdale, Carmill Station, Fair Harbor, Forbes, Forest Beach, Frisken Wye, Graham Point, Little Hoquiam, Marmac, Mohrweis, New Kamilche, Rose Point, Stimson, Sunbeach, Sunset Beach, Triton, and Walkers Landing — were logging-camp sidings, rail stops, and waterfront plats rather than lasting settlements, and are not carried into this table for lack of any current population or postal record; they are noted here rather than silently dropped.

ZIP Codes

• 98584 — Shelton
• 98528 — Belfair
• 98524 — Allyn
• 98546 — Grapeview
• 98548 — Hoodsport
• 98588 — Tahuya
• 98592 — Union
• 98555 — Lilliwaup
• 98560 — Matlock

Skokomish, Dewatto, and Potlatch have no post office of their own and are served by the nearest listed ZIP code.

Geography

Mason County straddles the southern end of Hood Canal, the long fjord separating the Olympic Peninsula from the Kitsap Peninsula, and reaches west into the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. The eastern half of the county is low, water-cut country around Case Inlet, Totten Inlet, and Oakland Bay; the western half rises through second-growth timberland toward the Olympic National Forest. The Skokomish River, the county’s principal waterway, drains the eastern Olympics into the head of Hood Canal.

Mason County borders Jefferson County to the northwest, Kitsap County to the northeast, Pierce County to the east, Thurston County to the southeast, and Grays Harbor County to the southwest.

Demographics

Mason County had 65,726 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 68 people per square mile of land. Shelton is the largest community and the only incorporated city; Belfair, in the county’s northeast corner closest to the Kitsap Peninsula, is the largest unincorporated population center. The county’s median household income runs below the Washington median of $94,605, reflecting its mix of retirement, timber, and shellfish-industry households rather than the Seattle-area commuter economy found in neighboring Kitsap and Pierce counties.

Economy & Local Life

Timber and forest products remain central to Mason County’s economy, along with shellfish aquaculture on Hood Canal and Totten and Case inlets — the county is one of Washington’s leading oyster- and geoduck-producing areas. Mason General Hospital in Shelton is the county’s main healthcare provider. State government and the Squaxin Island Tribe’s Little Creek Casino Resort, near Kamilche, are also significant local employers. Belfair and Allyn, both within commuting range of the Bremerton naval shipyards in Kitsap County, have grown as bedroom communities.

History

Mason County was created from Thurston County on March 13, 1854, one of Washington Territory’s original counties. It was first named Sawamish County, a name drawn from a local Native American group; in 1864 the territorial legislature renamed it Mason County in honor of Charles H. Mason, the first secretary of Washington Territory, who had died the year before. Logging and shingle-mill operations drove the county’s early economy, with rail spurs and camps — many of the smaller place names on old maps — serving Hood Canal timber operations through the early twentieth century.

Getting There

U.S. Route 101 runs the length of the county along Hood Canal, connecting Shelton to the rest of the Olympic Peninsula; State Route 3 links Shelton north to Belfair and Bremerton, and State Routes 106 and 108 serve the Hood Canal shoreline.

• Olympia — about 20 miles southeast
• Bremerton — about 30 miles northeast
• Tacoma — about 40 miles east
• Seattle — about 60 miles northeast

The nearest commercial airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, reached via Tacoma or the Kitsap Peninsula ferries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Mason County, Washington?
It sits on the southern end of Hood Canal in western Washington, between the Olympic Peninsula and the Kitsap Peninsula.

What is the population of Mason County?
65,726 at the 2020 census.

How big is Mason County?
959 square miles (2,480 km2) of land and 92 square miles (240 km2) of water, for a total of 1,051 square miles (2,720 km2).

What is the county seat of Mason County?
Shelton is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.

How many towns are in Mason County?
One incorporated city (Shelton), six census-designated places, and numerous smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Mason County?
Nine, led by 98584 (Shelton), 98528 (Belfair), and 98524 (Allyn).

Where does the name Mason County come from?
It honors Charles H. Mason, the first secretary of Washington Territory; the county was originally named Sawamish County until the 1864 rename.

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