Snohomish County is located on Puget Sound, between Skagit County to the north and King County (and Seattle) to the south. Covering 2,090 square miles, it is the 13th largest county in total land area in Washington.

Residential Construction

In 2004, residential building permits were issued for 5,606 new units - including single family, duplexes, multifamily and mobile homes. The unincorporated area had 3,594 units permitted (up from 3,068 in 2003), and the cities had 2,012 units (up from 1,977 in 2003). From 1990 through 1999, residential permits were issued for a total of 62,435 housing units. From 2000 through 2004, total county residential permits have been issued for 28,270 housing units.

In 2005, unincorporated county permits were issued for 3,907 single family houses, the highest number of single family permits ever issued in unincorporated Snohomish County for any one year period. Residential permits were also issued for 142 duplex units, 132 multifamily units, and 99 mobile/manufactured homes, for a total of 4280 new units permitted in unincorporated Snohomish County in 2005.

Snohomish County's varied topography ranges from saltwater beaches, rolling hills and rich river bottom farmlands in the west to dense forest and alpine wilderness in the mountainous east. Glacier Peak, at 10,541 feet, is the highest point in Snohomish County and one of the highest in Washington State. Sixty-eight percent of the county land area is forest land, 18% is rural, 9% is urban/city and 5% is agricultural.

Climate

Snohomish County enjoys a moderate year-round climate, with average  temperatures ranging from about 75°F in July to about 33°F in January. The Olympic Mountains to the west, across Puget Sound, shelter the area from excessive precipitation coming off the Pacific Ocean. Annual precipitation in the western part of the county is 35 inches, but increases sharply as the elevation climbs into the Cascades Mountains (Index, 110"-120").

Population

Snohomish County is the third most populous county in the state, and one of the fastest growing. The county's population as of April, 2005 was 655,800. The unincorporated (outside cities) population is 315,390 and the incorporated (inside cities) population is 340,410. In 2000, Snohomish County's population totaled 606,024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 1990 and 2000, Snohomish County population grew by about 30%, and from 2000 to 2005, the population has increased by 8.2%. Everett, population 97,500 (2005), is the largest city and has served as the county seat since 1897.

Population Forecast

The population forecast for Snohomish County for year 2025 is 932,951, an increase of 304,951 (49%) from the 2002 estimate of 628,000. This number is consistent with the target for allocating future growth to the cities and unincorporated areas as part of the comprehensive plan update adopted by the County Council in December, 2005. The corresponding employment forecast for 2025 is 345,332 jobs in 2025, an increase of 131,457 (61%) from the 2002 employment estimate of 213,875 jobs.

Employment

Nonagricultural wage and salary workers employed in Snohomish County totaled 236,600 in December 2005, up from 220,900 the year before. Employment also rose by 15,700 workers (+7.1%) in the same period, while the county's unemployment rate dropped from 5.1% to 4.8%. The unemployment rate over the last ten years was lowest in 1998 at 3.1%, and highest in 2003 at 7.7%.  (State of Washington Department of Employment Security)