Census Data for Port Orchard

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Port Orchard a population of 14,602 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Port Orchard a population of 11,144 people.

The city of Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County. The 2010 Census gave Kitsap County; a population of 251,133 people. This means that Port Orchard had 4.44% of the county's total population, making it Kitsap's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, Washington had a population of 6,724,540 people, meaning that Port Orchard had 0.17% of the total population of Washington - making it the state's 71st most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Port Orchard has a total area of 8.52 square miles [22.1 km²]. Of this total, 7.24 square miles [18.7 km²] is land, with the balance (14.99%) being water (1.28 square miles [3.3 km²]).

Kitsap County has a land area of 394.9 square miles [1,022.9 km²]. At 7.24 square miles [18.7 km²], Port Orchard has 1.83% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Port Orchard, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Port Orchard reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Port Orchard might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   47° 31' 8"   (or 47.52°)
  • Lon:   -122° 39' 18"   (or -122.66°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Port Orchard had 4,630 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 11,144 people, this averages 2.41 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Port Orchard had a land area of 7.24 square miles [18.7 km²]. This translates to 543 Housing Units per square mile [209.9 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Port Orchard had 3,178 Housing Units, a population of 7,693 people and a land area of 4.02 square miles [10.4 km²]. This gives a density of 2.42 people per Housing Unit and 647 Housing Units per square mile [250.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Port Orchard and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Kitsap County ...

Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County<4> and is the County Seat for Kitsap County.

The county had a population of 251,133 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 11,144 people, Port Orchard represented 4.44% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Port Orchard has a population density of 1,308 people per square mile [505 people/km²], Kitsap County averages 635 people per square mile [245.5 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Kitsap County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Port Orchard, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Port Orchard. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Port Orchard or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Port Orchard, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Port Orchard.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   47.519008°   (or 47°31'8" N)
  • Lon:   -122.655060°   (or -122°39'18" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   47.531563°   (or 47°31'53" N)
  • Lon:   -122.638405°   (or -122°38'18" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,145 feet to the southwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2411466) to Port Orchard. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Port Orchard. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   47.529959°   (or 47°31'47" N)
  • Lon:   -122.643020°   (or -122°38'34" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 4,972 feet to the southwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Port Orchard. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Port Orchard.

Miscellaneous Information for Port Orchard ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Kitsap County or the city of Port Orchard:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Port Orchard:
  • GNIS ID for Port Orchard: 2411466
  • GNIS ID for Kitsap County: 1529223
  • GNIS ID for State of Washington: 1779804

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 53 (Washington)
  • County Code: 035 (Kitsap County)
  • Place Code: 55785 (Port Orchard)
  • State & County Code: 53/035 (Washington / Kitsap County)
  • State & Place Code: 53/55785 (Washington / Port Orchard)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Port Orchard is located in Census Region #4 (the West Region) and Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Port Orchard, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Port Orchard. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Port Orchard:98366<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Port Orchard.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Port Orchard. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Kitsap County: www.kitsapgov.com/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)