{"id":8628,"date":"2023-10-03T16:11:40","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T16:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=8628"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:35:25","slug":"island-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/island-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Island County, Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Island County is a county in Washington, United States, about 50 miles north of Seattle, made up<br \/>\nentirely of Whidbey and Camano islands plus several smaller ones. It had a population of 86,857 at<br \/>\nthe 2020 census, an estimated 85,657 by 2024, and covers 208 square miles (540 km2) of land<br \/>\ncentred near 48\u00b009\u2032N 122\u00b035\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Coupeville is the county seat; its postal code is 98239. Oak Harbor, home to Naval Air Station<br \/>\nWhidbey Island, is the county&#8217;s largest city. The county holds 2 cities, 1 incorporated town<br \/>\nand 4 census-designated places across Whidbey and Camano islands, plus a handful of smaller<br \/>\nunincorporated communities, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 53029.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Island County<\/h2>\n<p>Island County has 17 named places on record: 3 incorporated cities and towns, 4<br \/>\ncensus-designated places (CDPs) tracked separately by the Census Bureau, and 10 smaller<br \/>\nunincorporated communities with no population count of their own.<\/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>Oak Harbor<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>24,622<\/td>\n<td>98277<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Camano<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>17,356<\/td>\n<td>98282<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Freeland<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,252<\/td>\n<td>98249<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coupeville<\/td>\n<td>Town &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>1,942<\/td>\n<td>98239<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Whidbey Island Station<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>1,671<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Langley<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>1,147<\/td>\n<td>98260<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Clinton<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>956<\/td>\n<td>98236<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Greenbank<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>98253<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bayview<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coveland<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Keystone<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Maxwelton<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>San de Fuca<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Utsalady<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Baby Island Heights<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Glendale<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mabana<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whidbey Island Station is not a civilian town &mdash; it is the Census Bureau&#8217;s tally for<br \/>\nNaval Air Station Whidbey Island, the county&#8217;s largest employer, and its 1,671 residents are<br \/>\nsailors and families housed on base rather than in a chartered community. The old version of this<br \/>\npage listed roughly three dozen additional beach-plat names (Sunset Beach, Rockaway Beach, Tyee<br \/>\nBeach and similar) with no Census Bureau record, population, or ZIP of their own &mdash; they are<br \/>\nprivate subdivisions inside the places above rather than distinct communities, so they are left<br \/>\noff this list rather than repeated as if they were separately governed places.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>98277 &mdash; Oak Harbor (98278 is the Navy base&#8217;s own ZIP)<\/li>\n<li>98282 &mdash; Camano Island<\/li>\n<li>98249 &mdash; Freeland<\/li>\n<li>98239 &mdash; Coupeville<\/li>\n<li>98260 &mdash; Langley<\/li>\n<li>98236 &mdash; Clinton<\/li>\n<li>98253 &mdash; Greenbank<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bayview, Coveland, Keystone, Maxwelton, San de Fuca, Utsalady, Baby Island Heights, Glendale and<br \/>\nMabana have no ZIP of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest post office town&#8217;s<br \/>\ncode.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Island County is a county in Washington, United States, made up entirely of islands in Puget<br \/>\nSound &mdash; Whidbey and Camano, plus seven smaller ones including Smith Island and Strawberry<br \/>\nIsland. Of its 517 square miles total, 208 are land and 309 are water, about 60 percent &mdash;<br \/>\nthe highest water share of any Washington county. Whidbey Island runs roughly 55 miles north to<br \/>\nsouth and is one of the longest islands in the contiguous United States; Camano Island sits east<br \/>\nof it, connected to the mainland by a bridge at Stanwood rather than a ferry.<\/p>\n<p>Because the county has no land border, every neighbor lies across water. Skagit County lies<br \/>\nnorth across Deception Pass and Skagit Bay, Snohomish County lies east and south across Possession<br \/>\nSound and Port Susan, Jefferson County lies southwest across Admiralty Inlet, Clallam County lies<br \/>\nwest across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and San Juan County lies northwest across Rosario Strait.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/skagit-county\/\">Skagit County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/snohomish-county\/\">Snohomish County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/jefferson-county-washington\/\">Jefferson County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/clallam-county\/\">Clallam County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/san-juan-county-washington\/\">San Juan County<\/a> all border<br \/>\nIsland County by water.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Island County had a population of 86,857 at the 2020 census, and Data USA&#8217;s latest<br \/>\nestimate puts the county near 86,836 residents. Oak Harbor and the Camano CDP are by far the two<br \/>\nlargest communities, together holding roughly half the county&#8217;s population. Median household<br \/>\nincome runs $90,551, below Washington&#8217;s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $94,605. Population<br \/>\ndensity works out to roughly 418 people per square mile of land, moderate for a Puget Sound county<br \/>\nand concentrated almost entirely around Oak Harbor, Coupeville and the Freeland-Langley corridor of<br \/>\nsouth Whidbey.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 4,354 people,<br \/>\nfollowed by retail trade at 4,106 and manufacturing at 3,388. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,<br \/>\nhome to the Navy&#8217;s entire fleet of EA-18G Growler electronic-attack squadrons, is by far the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s largest single employer and drives Oak Harbor&#8217;s economy directly. WhidbeyHealth<br \/>\nMedical Center in Coupeville is the county&#8217;s main hospital and a major civilian employer.<br \/>\nSouth Whidbey&#8217;s economy leans on tourism, wineries and small farms around Greenbank and<br \/>\nFreeland. The county&#8217;s biggest annual event is the Island County Fair in Langley each August,<br \/>\nrunning continuously since 1912.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Oregon Territory legislature created Island County on 22 December 1852, carving it out of<br \/>\nThurston County &mdash; making it the eighth-oldest county in Washington. It originally covered<br \/>\nwhat are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties before they split off. The name<br \/>\ndescribes the county exactly: it is composed entirely of islands.<\/p>\n<p>Isaac Ebey, the first permanent settler on Whidbey Island, was shot and scalped at his home near<br \/>\npresent-day Coupeville on 11 August 1857. A raiding party of Kake Tlingit had come south seeking<br \/>\nrevenge for the deaths of a chief and 27 others killed the previous year by the USS Massachusetts;<br \/>\nEbey, a prominent local leader, was not their original target but was the one they found. Captain<br \/>\nThomas Coupe laid out Coupeville in the 1850s, and it incorporated on 20 April 1910. In 1978<br \/>\nCongress created Ebey&#8217;s Landing National Historical Reserve around the site &mdash; the<br \/>\nfirst National Historical Reserve in the country, protecting the farmland and settler-era<br \/>\nstructures still standing on the bluff above the strait.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>State Route 20 crosses Deception Pass Bridge onto north Whidbey and runs through Oak Harbor and<br \/>\nCoupeville; SR 525 runs the length of Whidbey Island to the Clinton ferry dock; SR 532 crosses onto<br \/>\nCamano Island from Stanwood. No interstate reaches the county.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Seattle &mdash; about 50 miles south of Oak Harbor by road and ferry<\/li>\n<li>Everett &mdash; about 30 miles southeast of Oak Harbor<\/li>\n<li>Mount Vernon &mdash; about 20 miles north of Oak Harbor<\/li>\n<li>Bellingham &mdash; about 55 miles north<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Washington State Ferries runs two routes serving the county: Mukilteo&#8211;Clinton, the<br \/>\nbusiest route in the system, and Port Townsend&#8211;Coupeville across Admiralty Inlet. Paine<br \/>\nField, about 25 miles southeast in Everett, is the nearest commercial airport; Seattle&#8211;Tacoma<br \/>\nInternational, roughly 55 miles south, carries more routes. Island County has no Amtrak station;<br \/>\nthe nearest stop is Amtrak Cascades service in Mount Vernon or Everett.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Island County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt occupies Whidbey and Camano islands in Puget Sound, about 50 miles north of Seattle, bordered<br \/>\nentirely by water &mdash; Skagit, Snohomish, Jefferson, Clallam and San Juan counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Island County?<\/strong><br \/>\n86,857 at the 2020 census, with a recent estimate near 86,836.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Island County?<\/strong><br \/>\n517 square miles total, of which 208 square miles are land and 309 square miles are water &mdash;<br \/>\nabout 60 percent of the county is water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Island County?<\/strong><br \/>\nCoupeville, incorporated in 1910, is the county seat; Oak Harbor is the largest city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Island County?<\/strong><br \/>\nThree incorporated places &mdash; Oak Harbor, Langley and Coupeville &mdash; plus four<br \/>\ncensus-designated places (Camano, Freeland, Clinton and Whidbey Island Station) and smaller<br \/>\nunincorporated communities including Greenbank, Bayview, Coveland and Keystone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Island County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n98277 and 98278 for Oak Harbor, 98282 for Camano Island, 98249 for Freeland, 98239 for Coupeville,<br \/>\n98260 for Langley, 98236 for Clinton and 98253 for Greenbank.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Island County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nNaval Air Station Whidbey Island, the Navy&#8217;s home for its Growler squadrons, and Ebey&#8217;s<br \/>\nLanding National Historical Reserve, the first National Historical Reserve in the United States.<\/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>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\u00b009\u2032N 122\u00b035\u2032W. [&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 Island County, Washington","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 17 towns, CDPs and communities in Island County, Washington - type, population and ZIP for each, plus NAS Whidbey Island and Ebey's Landing 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-8628","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\/8628","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=8628"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9532,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8628\/revisions\/9532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}