Eastern Washington Map

About Eastern Washington Map

Explore the map of eastern Washington showing highways, major cities, airports, point of interests, etc.

Facts about Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington

Washington’s East Cascade region are home to the land that has been settled by hardy people to create a dynamic community of great natural and cultural resources. As of early 2026, the informal geographic region of Eastern Washington will consist of about 20 of Washington’s 39 counties and will encompass about 46,620 square miles – 70 percent of the state’s area of land – while being home to only about 22 percent of its people. Based on recent growth rates from the 2020 US Census (1,667,593 people), the Eastern Washington population is estimated to be about 1.8 million. Eastern Washington is the area of land that is east of the Cascade Mountains. A semi-arid region of plateaus, valleys and other landscape features, it is the agricultural region of Washington – a region of innovative people and a continental climate with extreme weather conditions. The region is often called the Inland Empire or the Inland Northwest. It is a region of human adaptation at its finest: a place where families can live in a rural agricultural setting with easy access to growing cities while still preserving the wide open spaces of the American West.

Geography and Environment

Geography Eastern Washington is characterized by dramatic changes that resulted from extreme weather events thousands of years ago. Much of Eastern Washington is part of the Columbia Plateau, a land surface of basalt, volcanic rock formed from extensive lava flows thousands of years ago. River erosion formed deep river canyons, such as the Big Bend Gorge of the Columbia River, and created the unique landscape of the Channeled Scablands following a series of massive floods caused by glaciers released during the last Ice Age thousands of years ago. The low point is along the Columbia River near White Salmon, 79 feet, and the high point is on Mount Adams, 12,276 feet. Eastern Washington has a diverse geography of the Palouse area of rolling hills of grassland, irrigated farmland, and arid desert shrubland. The Columbia River runs through the eastern part of the state powering the largest structure in the world, the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest concrete structure in the United States, that provides hydropower for irrigation of land in the dry arid region. Eastern Washington has five of the nation's seventeen National Forests including the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and numerous wildlife refuges including the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge that preserves habitat for migratory birds and endangered native species and is an important area for environmental conservation. The eastern part of the state has a drier climate, in the rain shadow of the Cascades, with a semi-arid to arid continental climate, with low to moderate precipitation, 8 to 20 inches (200 to 500 mm) depending on the area, relatively dry, with hot dry summers and cold wet winters. In the eastern part of the state, which includes parts of the dry desert shrublands and semi-desert, Eastern Washington receives on average 300 plus days of direct sunshine each year. There are increasing issues related to climate change, with snowpack in the mountains of Eastern Washington decreasing and water tables being drawn down. In the Odessa area in eastern Washington, for example, the water table is being drawn down at a rate of two to three feet each year, a decline that is part of the wider decline occurring in the Yakima Basin to the south. Increased drought, decreasing snowpack, groundwater loss, rising temperatures, shifting seasonal timing of natural events, changing weather patterns, and sea level rise, among other impacts, all are major concerns that are being addressed by efforts to build watershed resiliency in the region.

Population and Demographics

The population of Eastern Washington as of the start of 2026 is estimated to be around 1.8 million people, up from the 2020 Census baseline of 1,667,593 with modest annual increases resulting from migration and job opportunities. In total, Eastern Washington is home to approximately 22 percent of Washington state’s 8 million plus people. The largest cities in Eastern Washington include Spokane, estimated to have a population of around 230,000 people, and the Tri-Cities area of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland which collectively has a population of nearly 300,000. Other urban centers in Eastern Washington include Yakima, estimated to have a population of about 96,000 and Wenatchee with a population estimated to be around 35,000 people. The Eastern Washington region has a population diversity similar to that found in the state. A little over 75 percent of people in Eastern Washington are White, compared with 14 percent who are Hispanic or Latino, 11 percent who are Asian and smaller percentages who are Black, American Indian and multiracial. Another indicator of diversity is the foreign-born population that constitutes about 15 percent of the Eastern Washington population allowing Eastern Washington residents to benefit from the global and culturally diverse values and practices common to people in other parts of the world. Eastern Washington has a very evenly balanced age structure, as with most of the state, in which people under 18 years old are about 21 percent and people aged 65 and older number about 17 percent. The state’s median age is around 38 which is a little higher for people living in rural areas of the region and the average household size is five people, although the state median household size is 2.5 people. Overall, the region's population diversity as well as its age and household size structures supports family and neighborly ties which are generally considered important for quality of life.

Economy and Industry

The economy of Eastern Washington is agricultural. Agricultural output in Eastern Washington was estimated to be $12.9 billion in 2024, with a forecast of fluctuating growth in 2026 because of high input costs and a volatile international trade environment. There are also opportunities and innovations coming in the form of sustainable agriculture practices and specialty crops. Eastern Washington leads the nation in the production of wheat, apples, hops and cherries. The Palouse region produces most of the country's dryland grains and the Yakima Valley is one of the nation's largest irrigated orchards. Agricultural production creates employment opportunities for more than 164,000 people in Eastern Washington and is the basis of more than half of the state's agricultural GDP, which accounts for about 10 to 13 percent of the state's total GDP. The region also has opportunities in the development of renewable energy projects like wind farms and has a number of historic sites including the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The Spokane area has opportunities for employment in the aerospace industry while the Tri-Cities have food processing opportunities. Median household incomes vary but are in the range of about $71,000 in rural counties and higher in the growing metropolitan markets. Poverty rates are about 13 percent. New collaborations of organizations are exploring new opportunities in resource management and utilizing waste such as food waste in order to increase sustainability as well as boost revenue in Eastern Washington. The agricultural economy of Eastern Washington not only provides food to the rest of the nation, but provides a solid foundation for strong community development and the livelihoods of farmers and their families who are essential to the food security of many households across the region, and provide numerous generations with the promise of plenty on the land.

Education and Health

Residents in Eastern Washington have the skills and education they need to lead healthy, productive and successful lives: High school graduation rates are around 90 percent. Bachelor's degree attainment is 26 percent or higher in urban counties like Spokane and Whitman. Students in Eastern Washington are served by two colleges, WSU in Pullman and EWU in Cheney, with campuses that support a combined 30,000 students and significant agricultural and STEM research. Health in Eastern Washington The residents of Eastern Washington appear to have a healthy relationship with health and are generally well-served for care although access varies depending on location. In Spokane County, for example, 9.6 percent of people under age 65 have a disability and 7.8 percent are uninsured. Several collaborative efforts have been launched across rural Eastern Washington to address the unique needs of rural communities. Residents’ long commute times of 26 mean minutes per day can also work against efforts to balance work and health. Internet availability is available in 93% of Eastern Washington homes which can be used for telemedicine services and for online learning; though Eastern Washington residents must contend with smoke-filled air from wildfires which are increasing in frequency and severity and impacting the Region’s air quality. In Eastern Washington, the region’s emphasis on primary and preventive care and a broad range of services help residents to live long, healthy lives.

Government and Community Life

Each county in Eastern Washington has its own commission and state representative. Most of the counties fall within congressional and legislative districts that are heavily agricultural and concerned with environmental issues. Values of family, stewardship and cooperation are often cited as being important to residents. Owner occupied housing is about 64% with median values in the entire state at $565,000. Eastern Washington, however, is less expensive with median prices on the east side of the Cascade Mountains being about 25% of those on the west side. Eastern Washington median rent is about $1,760. Residency rates are about 85% higher here than in Western Washington. A large number of residents are veterans. County fairs and river festivals are among the events that bring different groups of residents together. Overall Eastern Washington is a place to live. The region's natural and historical resources provide the foundation upon which to build a bright future.