Mason 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,726. 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 only incorporated city is Shelton. The county was formed out of Thurston County on March 13, 1854. Originally named Sawamish County, it took its present name in 1864 in honor of Charles H. Mason, the first Secretary of

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

. Mason County comprises the Shelton micropolitan statistical area and is included in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

- Tacoma combined statistical area.

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 (8.7%) is water.

Geographic features

*Brown Cove *

Case Inlet Case Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula to the east and Harstine Island to the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining ...

* Hammersley Inlet * Harstine Island *

Hood Canal Hood Canal is a fjord-like body of water that lies south of Admiralty Inlet in Washington State that some consider to be the western lobe and one of the five main basins of Puget Sound.Lake Cushman Lake Cushman () is a lake and reservoir on the north fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, United States. The lake originally was a long narrow broadening of the Skokomish River formed in a glacial trough and dammed by a termi ...

* Mason Lake *

Olympic Mountains The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus (Washington), Mount Olympus is the high ...

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

* Squaxin Island * Totten Inlet Oakland Bay

Major highways

* U.S. 101 * SR 3 * WA-108

SR 108 *

SR 106

Adjacent counties

* Jefferson County – northwest *

Kitsap County Kitsap County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, Washington, Port Orchard; its ...

– northeast * Pierce County – east/southeast * Thurston County – southeast * Grays Harbor County – southwest

National protected areas

* Olympic National Forest (part) *

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a national park of the United States located in Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier e ...

(part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 60,699 people, 23,832 households, and 16,057 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 32,518 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.1% white, 3.7% American Indian, 1.2% Asian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.4% Pacific islander, 3.4% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.7% were German, 13.8% were English, 13.5% were Irish, 6.7% were Norwegian, and 4.9% were American. Of the 23,832 households, 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 44.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,104 and the median income for a family was $56,809. Males had a median income of $44,992 versus $33,982 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,530. About 11.1% of families and 15.6% 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 21.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 49,405 people, 18,912 households, and 13,389 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 25,515 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.46%

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 ...

, 1.19%

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 ...

, 3.72% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.45%

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 ...

, 2.10% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. 4.78% of the population 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. 16.7% were of German, 9.9% Irish, 9.8% English, 8.6%

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 and 6.8% Norwegian ancestry. There were 18,912 households, out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,586, and the median income for a family was $44,246. Males had a median income of $37,007 versus $25,817 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,056. About 8.80% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the

, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Shelton (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Allyn *

Allyn-Grapeview Allyn-Grapeview is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Mason County, Washington, Mason County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the CDP was separated into Allyn, Washington, Allyn ...

(former) * Belfair * Grapeview * Hoodsport * Kamilche * Skokomish * Union

Unincorporated communities

* Bayshore * Eldon * Harstine Island *

Lake Cushman Lake Cushman () is a lake and reservoir on the north fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, United States. The lake originally was a long narrow broadening of the Skokomish River formed in a glacial trough and dammed by a termi ...

* Lilliwaup * Matlock * Mohrweis *

Potlatch A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Scienc ...

* Tahuya

Government

Board of county commissioners

* District 1 (North Mason) - Randy Neatherlin, elected 2013 * District 2 (West Mason) - Kevin Shutty, elected 2017 * District 3 (Central Mason) - Sharon Trask, elected 2019

State legislators

35th Legislative District

* Sen. Drew MacEwan (R) * Rep. Dan Griffey (R) * Rep. Travis Couture (R)

Healthcare

Mason County has one hospital, Mason General Hospital, in Shelton, operated by Washington Public Hospital District No. 1.

References

External links

Official Tourism Web Site for Mason County

County of Mason – official website

by the ''Shelton-Mason County Journal''
''Mason County Daily News''
{{authority control 1854 establishments in Washington Territory Populated places established in 1854 Western Washington