† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupKelsoWashingtonUnited States
German17.0%14.5%12.5%
English14.0%12.1%9.5%
Irish11.1%9.8%9.4%
American5.0%3.8%5.3%
Norwegian5.0%4.0%—
Scottish3.1%2.6%1.3%
Italian2.9%3.1%4.8%
French2.3%—1.6%
Mexican7.8%10.8%11.3%
Spaniard0.6%0.4%—
Spanish0.5%0.3%—
Guatemalan0.3%0.2%0.5%
Puerto Rican0.2%0.5%1.8%
Colombian0.2%0.2%0.4%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Kelso
Washington
United States
Median age
39.9
38.5
39.1
Age 18–24
8.6%
8.5%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.4%
16.7%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Kelso
Washington
United States
Median household income
$66,751
$98,141
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.0%
9.9%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
12.5%
39.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Kelso
Washington
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
6.8%
21.5%
22.3%
Spanish
4.6%
9.1%
13.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.8%
2.1%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Kelso
Washington
United States
Catholic
—
10.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
20.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
58.8%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Kelso, Washington
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+15.4%
2008
+22.5%
2012
+20.3%
2016
−1.7%
2020
−6.9%
2024
−9.0%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
43.9%Harris1,886
52.8%Trump2,272
3.3%
R+9.0
R+2.0
R+7.5
4,301
R
44.7%Biden2,430
51.6%Trump2,807
3.7%
R+6.9
R+5.2
R+11.4
5,438
R
44.1%Clinton1,768
45.8%Trump1,837
10.1%
R+1.7
R+22.1
R+3.8
4,012
D
58.5%Obama2,339
38.1%Romney1,525
3.4%
D+20.3
R+2.2
D+16.5
4,001
D
59.9%Obama2,526
37.3%McCain1,575
2.8%
D+22.5
D+7.1
D+15.3
4,218
D
56.4%Kerry2,210
41.0%Bush1,605
2.6%
D+15.4
—
D+17.9
3,916
Kelso sits at the confluence of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers, and its blue-collar, timber-rooted economy has historically tilted the city toward working-class voting patterns even as the broader Pacific Northwest shifted.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 22.5 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 9.0 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 2.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 9.0 points.
A population of 12,684, a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $66,751 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Hoquiam and Canton.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Kelso, Washington voted Republican by 9.0 points (R+9.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 4,301 votes cast, 1,886 went Democratic and 2,272 went Republican.
When did Kelso, Washington last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Kelso, Washington voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Kelso, Washington?
Kelso, Washington has a population of 12,684 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Kelso, Washington?
Median household income in Kelso, Washington is $66,751 — below the national median of $80,734. The Washington state median is $98,141.
What is the political history of Kelso, Washington?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Kelso, Washington from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 3 went Republican.
