Stevens County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–US border. At the 2020 census, its population was 46,445. As of July 2023, the population was estimated to be 48,837. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Colville, and the largest CDP is Suncrest. The county was created in 1863 and named after Isaac Stevens, the first

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of Washington Territory. Stevens County is included in the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the Spokane Indian Reservation is within the borders of the county.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.

Geographic features

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

Adjacent counties

* Pend Oreille County – east * Spokane County – southeast * Lincoln County – southwest * Ferry County – west * Kootenay Boundary Regional District, British Columbia – north * Regional District of Central Kootenay, British Columbia – northeast

National protected areas

* Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (part) * Colville National Forest (part) * Kaniksu National Forest (part) * Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (part) * Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, the population density was . There were 21,156 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, 3.7% two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.6% were German, 14.2% were Irish, 13.7% were English, 6.4% were Norwegian, and 6.1% were American. Of the households, 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 24.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 45.0 years. The median household income was $42,845 and the median family income was $51,544. Males had a median income of $46,721 versus $33,651 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,773. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 40,066 people, 15,017 households, and 11,022 families in the county. The population density was . There were 17,599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.28%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 5.66% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.68% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 1.84%. were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 20.6% were of German, 18.9%

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or American, 10.0% English, 7.9% Irish and 5.0% Norwegian ancestry. Of the 15,017 households 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 22.00% of households were one person and 8.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 28.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males. The median household income was $34,673 and the median family income was $40,250. Males had a median income of $35,256 versus $23,679 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,895. About 11.50% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the

, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Chewelah * Colville (county seat) * Kettle Falls

Towns

* Marcus * Northport * Springdale

Census-designated places

* Addy * Clayton * Loon Lake * Suncrest *

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

Unincorporated communities

* Arden * Bluecreek * Cedonia * Daisy * Echo * Evans * Ford * Fruitland * Gifford * Hunters * Nine Mile Falls * Onion Creek *

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

* Tumtum (also known as Tum Tum) * Wellpinit

Politics

References

External links

Stevens County – official website
* Th
Stevens County Wiki Project
A community wiki project, dedicated to creating an online wiki guide to Stevens County, Washington. Powered by Media Wiki.
Stevens County Rural Library District
hosts of the Stevens County Wiki Project, the Stevens County Library District (SCRLD) has various regional links available from their website.
Stevens County Heritage
Historical photos and documents from the Libraries of Stevens County.
uppercolumbia.net
a regional portal site for Stevens County and beyond. Includes business links and events calendar.
The Heritage Network
History and Genealogy Resources for the Upper Columbia Region. * An 1884 hailstorm in Stevens County on Wikisource
Crossroads on the Columbia
Preserve America Project Interpretive Section
Crossroads on the Columbia
Preserve America Project collection, exhibits, and images from museum and private collections covering Stevens County {{Coord, 48.40, -117.85, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WA_source:UScensus1990 1863 establishments in Washington Territory Populated places established in 1863 Eastern Washington