Raft Island, Washington Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 333, Raft Island's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Raft Island is a small community located in Washington, within Pierce County. The total population is 333. It ranks as the 518th most populous out of 628 Census-designated places in Washington.

Age Demographics

The median age in Raft Island is 60.6 years. This is 58% higher than the state median of 38.3 years. 14.7% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Raft Island. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The unemployment rate is 1.5%. This is 71% lower than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $726,400. Housing costs are 29% higher than the state median of $564,600. 80.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 27% higher than the state average of 63.8%.

Race & Ethnicity

Raft Island has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 85.9% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.1%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.1%) is well below the state average of 14.4%.

Education

69.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Raft Island in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 74% higher than the state rate of 39.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample. Notably, 41.8% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Raft Island, Washington is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Washington state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 628 Census-designated places in Washington. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.