{"id":8608,"date":"2023-10-02T20:03:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T20:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=8608"},"modified":"2026-08-07T13:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:07:42","slug":"clallam-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/clallam-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Clallam County, Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Clallam County is a county in Washington, United States, on the northern tip of the Olympic<br \/>\nPeninsula about 80 miles northwest of Seattle across Puget Sound. It had a population of 77,155<br \/>\nat the 2020 census, an estimated 77,813 by 2024, and covers 1,738 square miles (4,500 km2) of<br \/>\nland centred near 48\u00b006\u2032N 123\u00b053\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Port Angeles is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 98362. The county holds<br \/>\n3 cities and 9 unincorporated census-designated places, plus several smaller unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities with no CDP status of their own, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is<br \/>\n53009.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Clallam County<\/h2>\n<p>Clallam County has 12 places recognized by the Census Bureau: 3 incorporated cities and 9<br \/>\ncensus-designated places (CDPs), communities with no local government but a defined population<br \/>\ncount. A handful of other named communities &mdash; La Push, Joyce, Dungeness and Beaver among<br \/>\nthem &mdash; are unincorporated and outside any CDP boundary, so the Census Bureau does not report<br \/>\na separate population for them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Port Angeles<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>19,960<\/td>\n<td>98362<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sequim<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>8,024<\/td>\n<td>98382<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Forks<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>3,335<\/td>\n<td>98331<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Port Angeles East<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>3,159<\/td>\n<td>98362<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Carlsborg<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>1,100<\/td>\n<td>98324<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bell Hill<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>875<\/td>\n<td>98382<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Neah Bay<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>935<\/td>\n<td>98357<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>River Road<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>495<\/td>\n<td>98382<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jamestown<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>412<\/td>\n<td>98382<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Clallam Bay<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>386<\/td>\n<td>98326<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Blyn<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>108<\/td>\n<td>98382<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sekiu<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>24<\/td>\n<td>98381<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>La Push<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>98350<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Joyce<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>98343<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dungeness<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Three CDPs sit inside Sequim&#8217;s trade area and share its 98382 ZIP &mdash; Bell Hill,<br \/>\nRiver Road, Jamestown and Blyn all read as separate places on the census map but have no post<br \/>\noffice of their own. Neah Bay and La Push both sit on tribal land: Neah Bay on the Makah<br \/>\nReservation, La Push at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Quileute Reservation.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>98362 &mdash; Port Angeles (also covers Port Angeles East)<\/li>\n<li>98382 &mdash; Sequim (also covers Bell Hill, River Road, Jamestown and Blyn)<\/li>\n<li>98331 &mdash; Forks<\/li>\n<li>98324 &mdash; Carlsborg<\/li>\n<li>98357 &mdash; Neah Bay<\/li>\n<li>98326 &mdash; Clallam Bay<\/li>\n<li>98381 &mdash; Sekiu<\/li>\n<li>98350 &mdash; La Push, the westernmost ZIP code in the contiguous United States<\/li>\n<li>98343 &mdash; Joyce<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dungeness has no ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under Sequim&#8217;s 98382.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Clallam County occupies the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, bounded by the Strait of<br \/>\nJuan de Fuca to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Cape Alava, inside the county, is<br \/>\nthe westernmost point in both Washington and the contiguous United States. The Olympic Mountains<br \/>\nrun through the county&#8217;s southern interior, much of it inside Olympic National Park, whose<br \/>\nheadquarters sits in Port Angeles. Lake Crescent, a glacially carved lake west of Port Angeles,<br \/>\nand the Elwha, Sol Duc and Hoh rivers drain the range toward the coast.<\/p>\n<p>Only <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/jefferson-county-washington\/\">Jefferson County<\/a><br \/>\nborders Clallam by land, running along the county&#8217;s southern and eastern edge; the rest of<br \/>\nthe boundary is water &mdash; the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, across which lies Vancouver<br \/>\nIsland, British Columbia, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Clallam County had a population of 77,155 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the<br \/>\ncounty near 77,813 residents in 2024. Port Angeles and Sequim are by far the two largest<br \/>\ncommunities, together holding more than a third of the county&#8217;s population. Median household<br \/>\nincome runs $70,370 (2024), well below Washington&#8217;s statewide figure of $94,605 (2023 ACS).<br \/>\nPopulation density works out to roughly 44 people per square mile of land, low even for a<br \/>\nnon-metro Washington county, reflecting the large share of the county inside Olympic National<br \/>\nPark and tribal reservations.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 4,745 people,<br \/>\nfollowed by retail trade at 4,025 and public administration at 2,583. Olympic Medical Center, in<br \/>\nPort Angeles, is the county&#8217;s largest hospital employer. Forks built its economy on the<br \/>\ntimber industry for decades &mdash; it was known as the Logging Capital of the World during the<br \/>\n1950s\u201370s boom &mdash; and later gained tourism from Stephenie Meyer&#8217;s Twilight novels,<br \/>\nwhich are set there; annual visitors climbed from roughly 10,000 before the books to about 73,000<br \/>\nby 2010. Sequim&#8217;s rain-shadow climate, under 16 inches of rain a year against the region&#8217;s<br \/>\nusual 100-plus, supports commercial lavender farms and the city&#8217;s &#8220;Lavender Capital of North<br \/>\nAmerica&#8221; branding. The county&#8217;s biggest annual event is Sequim&#8217;s Irrigation Festival<br \/>\neach May, the longest continually running festival in Washington, first held in 1896.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Washington&#8217;s territorial legislature organized Clallam County on 26 April 1854, taking<br \/>\nits name from a Klallam word meaning &#8220;the strong people.&#8221; Port Angeles traces its harbor name to<br \/>\nSpanish explorer Francisco de Eliza, who charted it in 1791 as &#8220;Puerto de Nuestra Se&ntilde;ora de<br \/>\nlos &Aacute;ngeles.&#8221; Four federally recognized tribes hold reservations in the county today: the<br \/>\nLower Elwha Klallam near Port Angeles, the Jamestown S&#8217;Klallam at Blyn, the Makah at Neah<br \/>\nBay and the Quileute at La Push, all with historic ties to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Pacific<br \/>\ncoastline that predate the county&#8217;s 1854 organization.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>US Route 101 is the county&#8217;s only major highway, looping along the coast and through<br \/>\nPort Angeles, Sequim and Forks; no interstate reaches Clallam County.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Seattle &mdash; about 80 miles southeast, via the Bainbridge or Kingston ferries<\/li>\n<li>Olympia &mdash; about 100 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Port Townsend &mdash; about 30 miles east<\/li>\n<li>Aberdeen &mdash; about 100 miles south<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>William R. Fairchild International Airport, west of Port Angeles, handles general aviation<br \/>\nand regional flights. The MV Coho ferry runs from Port Angeles to Victoria, British Columbia,<br \/>\nyear-round. There is no Amtrak service in Clallam County; the nearest station is in Edmonds,<br \/>\nreached via the ferry system and Highway 101.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Clallam County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits on the northern tip of Washington&#8217;s Olympic Peninsula, bordered by the Strait of<br \/>\nJuan de Fuca, the Pacific Ocean and Jefferson County.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Clallam County?<\/strong><br \/>\n77,155 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 77,813.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Clallam County?<\/strong><br \/>\n1,738 square miles (4,500 km2) of land, plus 932 square miles of water in the Strait of Juan de<br \/>\nFuca and Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Clallam County?<\/strong><br \/>\nPort Angeles is the county seat and largest city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Clallam County?<\/strong><br \/>\nThree incorporated cities &mdash; Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks &mdash; plus nine<br \/>\ncensus-designated places: Port Angeles East, Carlsborg, Bell Hill, Neah Bay, River Road,<br \/>\nJamestown, Clallam Bay, Blyn and Sekiu.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Clallam County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n98362 for Port Angeles, 98382 for Sequim and its neighboring CDPs, 98331 for Forks, plus 98324,<br \/>\n98357, 98326, 98381, 98350 and 98343 for the smaller communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Clallam County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nOlympic National Park and Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, plus<br \/>\nForks&#8217;s Twilight-novel fame and Sequim&#8217;s lavender farms.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/washington\/\">Towns and villages in Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u00b006\u2032N 123\u00b053\u2032W. Port [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Clallam County, Washington","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 12 census-recognized places in Clallam County, Washington - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Olympic National Park and Forks history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-8608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-washington","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8608"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9323,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8608\/revisions\/9323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}