Pacific County

Pacific County, Washington
Pacific County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Washington
Washington's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 4, 1851
Named for	Pacific Ocean
Seat	South Bend
Largest city	Raymond
Area
• Total	1,223 sq mi (3,168 km2)
• Land	933 sq mi (2,416 km2)
• Water	291 sq mi (754 km2), 24%
Population (est.)
• (2016)	21,249
• Density	22/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
Website	www.co.pacific.wa.us

Pacific County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,920. Its county seat is South Bend, and its largest city is Raymond. The county was formed by the government of Oregon Territory on February 4, 1851 and is named for the Pacific Ocean.

The unincorporated community of Oysterville, established in 1852, was the original county seat until the late 19th century when it changed to South Bend. Pacific County is centered on the Willapa Bay, a region that provides twenty-five percent of the United States oyster harvest, though forestry, fishing, and tourism are also important elements of the county's economy.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,223 square miles (3,170 km²), of which 933 square miles (2,420 km²) is land and 291 square miles (750 km²) (24%) is water.

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,984 people, 9,096 households, and 5,885 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 13,991 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.54% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 2.44% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.83% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. 5.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.0% were of German, 10.8% English, 8.8% Irish and 8.6% United States or American ancestry.