Kitsap County is located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State across the Puget Sound from Seattle. It comprises a total land mass of 393 square miles. Kitsap County ranks 36th in size among Washington counties.

Kitsap County was founded in 1857, and was originally named Slaughter County. The people of Kitsap County are represented by three County Commissioners, and are served by a variety of agencies and government departments. Kitsap County occupies a unique portion of the State of Washington, directly between the urban areas of Seattle and Tacoma and the wilderness of the Olympic Mountains. It is bounded by the Hood Canal on the west, Puget Sound on the east, and Mason and Pierce Counties to the south.

The current population of Kitsap County is estimated at a little over 250,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The County seat is located in the town of Port Orchard. Kitsap County is situated along the western shore of the central Puget Sound region. It comprises a total land mass of 393 square miles (or 0.6 percent of the state's total land mass). As such, Kitsap County ranks 36th in size among Washington counties and is the 3rd most densely populated county in the state.

The graphic link to the right is a profile of the labor market and economic characteristics of Kitsap County. It was prepared by the Labor Market and Economic Analysis (LMEA) Branch of the Washington State Employment Security Department. This is one in a continuing series that profile labor market conditions in each of Washington's 39 counties (the series initially focused on economically distressed counties, but was expanded to include all).

For more information about the county, the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority (KCCHA) also publishes a semi-annual trends report. Click here to access the report from the KCCHA website.