Washington is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 46.9900° N, 121.4023° W.

What is the largest city in Washington?

Seattle is the largest city mapped in Washington, with a metropolitan population of about 3.07 million.

How many cities are in Washington?

YearMaps maps 16 cities and towns in Washington, with a combined metropolitan population of about 6.01 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

What is the highest mountain in Washington?

The highest summit mapped in Washington is Mount Rainier at 4,392 m.

What is the largest lake in Washington?

The largest lake mapped in or beside Washington is Lake Chelan, at about 179 km².

State / Province · United States

Map of Washington

Washington is a first-level division of United States. Its largest mapped city is Seattle, with about 3.07 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Washington, and the tables list its 16 mapped cities along with the mountains, dams, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.

Cities Mapped: 16
Largest City: Seattle
Country: United States
Highest Point Mapped: 4,392 m

About Washington

Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington state to distinguish it from the national capital; both are named after George Washington, a U.S. Founding Father and the first U.S. president. Washington borders the Pacific Ocean to the west, Oregon to the south, and Idaho to the east; it shares an international border with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. Olympia is the state capital, and the state's most populous city is Seattle.

Washington is the 18th-largest state, with an area of 71,362 sq mi (184,830 km2), and the 13th-most populous state, with a population of over 8 million. The majority of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry on Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west; mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast, and far southeast, and a semi-arid basin region in the east, center, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second-most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state's highest elevation at 14,400 feet (4,389 meters), and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous U.S.

Washington is a leading lumber producer, the largest producer of apples, hops, pears, blueberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries in the U.S., and ranks high in the production of apricots, asparagus, dry edible peas, grapes, lentils, peppermint oil, potatoes and wheat. Livestock, livestock products, and commercial fishing—particularly of salmon, halibut, and bottomfish—are also significant contributors to the state's economy. Washington ranks third in wine production.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Washington (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Washington in Depth

History

The skeletal remains of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete human remains found in North America, were discovered in Washington in 1996 and radiocarbon dated to between 8,400 and 8,690 years Before Present. The region has been home to many established tribes of indigenous peoples for thousands of years. They are notable for their ornately carved welcome figures, canoes, long houses and masks. Prominent among their industries were salmon fishing and, notably among the Makah, whale hunting. The peoples of the Interior had a different subsistence-based culture based on hunting, food-gathering and some forms of agriculture, as well as a dependency on salmon from the Columbia and its tributaries.

Geography

Washington is the northwesternmost state of the contiguous United States. It borders Idaho to the east, bounded mostly by the meridian running north from the confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River (about 117°02'23" west), except for the southernmost section where the border follows the Snake River. Oregon is to the south, with the Columbia River forming the western part and the 46th parallel forming the eastern part of the Oregon–Washington border. During Washington's partition from Oregon, the original plan for the border followed the Columbia River east until the confluence with the Snake, and then would have followed the Snake River east. This was changed to keep Walla Walla's fertile farmland in Washington.

To the west of Washington lies the Pacific Ocean.

Economy

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2025, the State of Washington's gross state product was $894.9 billion and its per capita personal income was $89,396. As of June 2025, the state's unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, ranked 37th lowest in the United States; the rate is unchanged from June 2024.

In the late 2010s, the state had the fastest-growing economy in the United States and was tenth-largest in the nation. The minimum wage was set at $11 in 2017 and has increased annually based on a cost-of-living index; since January 1, 2024, it has been $16.28 an hour, the highest of any state. Several cities have higher minimum wages as of 2024, such as Seattle at $19.97 for large employers and Tukwila at $20.29 for large employers.

Demographics

Washington's population was 7,705,281 in the 2020 census, a 14.6% increase since the 2010 census. In 2020, the state ranked 13th overall in population, and was the third most populous, after California and Texas, west of the Mississippi River. Washington has the largest population and highest population density among states in the Pacific Northwest, followed by Oregon and Idaho. The Washington State Office of Financial Management estimated the state population to be 8,115,100 as of April 1, 2025.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Washington (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Washington: Key Facts

Key facts about Washington
Population	7,705,281 (2020)
Area	184,827 km²
Capital	Olympia
Head of government	Bob Ferguson
Highest point	Mount Rainier
Established	11 November 1889

Facts from Wikidata Q1223 (CC0).

History of Washington: Empires and States

One mapped polity is recorded over Washington: United States of America, 1853–2024 CE.

Polities that held Washington, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
United States of America	1853–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Washington

Washington on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Washington

Washington offers rugged coastline, deserts, forests, mountains, volcanoes, and hundreds of coastal islands to explore. The Cascade Mountains bisect the state, with the damp forested coastal areas to the west, and pine forests, deserts and irrigated farmland of the Columbia River Plateau to the east. Outside the state, Washington is often called Washington state, to distinguish it from the national capital Washington, D.C., on the East Coast.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Washington (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Washington

16 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Washington
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Seattle	3.07 million	Washington	Populated place
2	Tacoma	719,868	Washington	Populated place
3	Vancouver	525,802	Washington	Populated place
4	Everett	486,903	Washington	Populated place
5	Spokane	347,705	Washington	Populated place
6	Olympia	156,984	Washington	Admin-1 capital
7	Bremerton	126,820	Washington	Populated place
8	Kennewick	102,504	Washington	Populated place
9	Bellingham	99,662	Washington	Populated place
10	Yakima	99,287	Washington	Populated place
11	Longview	66,231	Washington	Populated place
12	Wenatchee	62,625	Washington	Populated place
13	Walla Walla	45,150	Washington	Populated place
14	Richland	44,869	Washington	Populated place
15	Aberdeen	32,745	Washington	Populated place
16	Centralia	18,880	Washington	Populated place

Highest Mountains in Washington

3 mountains mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Highest Mountains in Washington
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Mount Rainier	4,392 m	14,409 ft	North America
2	Mount Baker	3,286 m	10,781 ft	North America
3	Mount Olympus	2,429 m	7,969 ft	North America

Major Dams in Washington

2 dams mapped. Ranked by structural height. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Major Dams in Washington
#	Name	Height	River	Capacity	Completed
1	Grand Coulee Dam	168 m	Columbia	6,809 MW	1942
2	Bonneville Dam	60 m	Columbia	1,242 MW	1937

Largest Lakes in Washington

2 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Largest Lakes in Washington
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	Lake Chelan	179 km²	Reservoir
2	Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake	119 km²	Reservoir

Ports in Washington

43 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

Ports in Washington
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	la Push	56.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
2	Port Townsend	56.7 m	Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
3	Quartermaster Harbor	56.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
4	Westhaven Cove	53 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
5	the Dalles	49.4 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
6	St Helens	45.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
7	Sekiu	45.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
8	Port Gamble	45.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
9	Westport	42.1 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest
10	South Bend	42.1 m	Small	Pacific Coast of North & Central America	point_of_interest

The other 33 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)

Raymond · 42.1 m · Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Willapa Harbor · 42.1 m · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Olympia · 42.1 m · Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Seattle · 38.4 m · Major · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Kalama · 34.7 m · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Anacortes · 31.1 m · Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Vancouver · 31.1 m · Minor · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Port Angeles · 16.5 m · Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Cherry Point · 5.5 m · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Tacoma · 5.5 m · Minor · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels
Camas · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Washougal · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Bay City · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Glen Cove · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Hoodsport · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Poulsbo · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Keyport · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Winslow · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Creosote · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Fort Ward · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Silverdale · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Shelton · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Nisqually Head · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Point Wells · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Edwards Point · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Coupeville · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Richardson · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Friday Harbor · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Roche Harbor · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Orcas · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Semiahmoo · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Blaine · Very Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · point_of_interest
Bellingham · Small · Pacific Coast of North & Central America · large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Washington

1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Washington
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Olympic National Park	1981	Natural	(vii) (ix)

Washington: Quick Answers

Where is Washington?: Washington is a first-level division of United States, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 46.9900° N, 121.4023° W.
What is the largest city in Washington?: Seattle is the largest city mapped in Washington, with a metropolitan population of about 3.07 million.
How many cities are in Washington?: YearMaps maps 16 cities and towns in Washington, with a combined metropolitan population of about 6.01 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
What is the highest mountain in Washington?: The highest summit mapped in Washington is Mount Rainier at 4,392 m.
What is the largest lake in Washington?: The largest lake mapped in or beside Washington is Lake Chelan, at about 179 km².