Elwha Watershed Information Resource
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The People

Sportfishing on the Elwha River.
Jeff Adkins, NOAA Coastal Services Center
The people who will be most directly affected by the Elwha River dam removal and restoration project are the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the residents of Port Angeles, and other residents of Clallam County. The sections below characterize these populations prior to dam removal; detailed statistics are presented in a characterization of the population and economy developed by the Battelle Memorial Institute, under contract with the NOAA Coastal Services Center. Ideally, the pre-dam removal status of these populations would be characterized at the local level, but many of the statistics are available only at the county level.

Most of Washington State is sparsely populated, with a few very large urban centers. Four counties surrounding Seattle and one county adjacent to Portland, Oregon are densely populated, with an average density of just under 500 persons per square mile. The remaining 34 counties have an average density of only 30 persons per square mile (Office of Financial Management).

Clallam County

In 2005, the population of Clallam County was 68,147 (Battelle 2007). Clallam ranks near the middle of Washington's 39 counties in terms of area, population, and population density (at 38 residents per square mile) (Employment and Security Department 2001). Much of the county's 1740 square miles lies within the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest. Not surprisingly, population density is much higher in the areas outside of those preserved areas. In 2000, 40 percent of the county lived within three incorporated cities: Port Angeles, Forks, and Sequim (Employment and Security Department 2001).

From 1990 to 2005, the county population grew 20.7 percent, as compared to 26.3 percent for Washington state and 15.9 percent for the U.S. (Battelle 2007). Compared with both the state and the nation, the county has a higher proportion of elderly residents (Battelle 2007), resulting in a negative rate of natural increase (births - deaths) (Employment and Security Department 2001). In-migration, a disproportionat share of which were 65 and older, accounted for all of the county's recent growth (Employment and Security Department 2001).

Clallam County is an increasingly popular place to retire, accounting for the large and growing population of elderly residents. In 2005, 22.4 percent of Clallam County was 65 years or older, which is about twice the percentage of that age group in the state or the nation (Battelle 2007).

In the ten years between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the 40-54 year age group experienced the greatest growth (51.5 percent) relative to the other age groups in the county--but the percentage of the 65-plus age group also increased substantially (19.1 percent) (Battelle 2007).

In 2005, the non-white population of Clallam County (9.6 percent) was less than in Washington State (18.8 percent) or the nation (25.3 percent). Native Americans, however, accounted for a larger share of the county population (4.2 percent) than they did in the state (1.4 percent) or the nation (0.8 percent) (Office of Financial Management). Reservations for Native American tribes (Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Jamestown S'Klallam) lie within the county boundaries.

Port Angeles and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe

Port Angeles, incorporated in 1890, has consistently remained the county's largest city, in 1930 accounting for half the county's population. Since then, population growth has been more widely distributed across the county. Port Angeles' 2000 population of 18,930 represented 29 percent of the total county population (Office of Financial Management).

Population trends for Clallam County and Port Angeles, Washington.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe includes 776 enrolled members, 112 of which live on the reservation (Battelle 2007).

References

  1. Batelle. 2007. Economic Support for the Elwha River Watershed: Final Economic Characterization Report with Monitoring Recommendations. Prepared for The Coastal Services Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  2. State of Washington, Office of Financial Management. Population.
  3. State of Washington, Office of Financial Management. Population Density.
  4. Washington State, Employment Security Department, Labor Market and Economic Analysis Branch. 2001. Clallam County Profile.