Census Data for Spokane

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Spokane a population of 221,804 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Spokane a population of 208,916 people.

The city of Spokane is located in Spokane County. The 2010 Census gave Spokane County; a population of 471,221 people. This means that Spokane had 44.34% of the county's total population, making it Spokane's most populous community.

At the same time, Washington had a population of 6,724,540 people, meaning that Spokane had 3.11% of the total population of Washington - making it the state's 2nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Spokane has a total area of 60 square miles [155.5 km²]. Of this total, 59.2 square miles [153.4 km²] is land, with the balance (1.29%) being water (0.77 square miles [2 km²]).

Spokane County has a land area of 1,763 square miles [4,568.2 km²]. At 59.2 square miles [153.4 km²], Spokane has 3.36% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Spokane, 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 Spokane reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Spokane 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° 40' 24"   (or 47.67°)
  • Lon:   -117° 24' 59"   (or -117.42°)
  • 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, Spokane had 94,291 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 208,916 people, this averages 2.22 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Spokane had a land area of 59.2 square miles [153.4 km²]. This translates to 1,570 Housing Units per square mile [606 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Spokane had 87,941 Housing Units, a population of 195,629 people and a land area of 57.8 square miles [149.6 km²]. This gives a density of 2.22 people per Housing Unit and 1,502 Housing Units per square mile [580 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 Spokane and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Spokane County ...

Spokane is located in Spokane County<4> and is the County Seat for Spokane County.

The county had a population of 471,221 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 208,916 people, Spokane represented 44.34% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Spokane has a population density of 3,480 people per square mile [1,343 people/km²], Spokane County averages 267.2 people per square mile [103.2 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Spokane, 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 Spokane. 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 Spokane 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 Spokane, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Spokane.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   47.673554°   (or 47°40'24" N)
  • Lon:   -117.416595°   (or -117°24'59" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   47.673341°   (or 47°40'24" N)
  • Lon:   -117.410271°   (or -117°24'36" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,554 feet to the west<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 (#2411956) to Spokane. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Spokane. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   47.673300°   (or 47°40'23" N)
  • Lon:   -117.415950°   (or -117°24'57" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 183.4 feet to the northwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Spokane. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Spokane.

Miscellaneous Information for Spokane ...

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 Spokane County or the city of Spokane:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Spokane:
  • GNIS ID for Spokane: 2411956
  • GNIS ID for Spokane County: 1529225
  • 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: 063 (Spokane County)
  • Place Code: 67000 (Spokane)
  • State & County Code: 53/063 (Washington / Spokane County)
  • State & Place Code: 53/67000 (Washington / Spokane)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Spokane 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 Spokane, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Spokane. 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 Spokane:99202<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 Spokane.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Spokane: www.spokanecity.org/

The official website for Spokane County: www.spokanecounty.org/

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)