Real estate · County · Washington
Real estate businesses in Cowlitz County, WA
How Cowlitz County, WA compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #873 of 2,229 scored counties
#17 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 121
- 8 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 82
- +13.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $761.8M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $17,336 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 145
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.5
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,885
- +3.5% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Cowlitz County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Cowlitz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $17,336 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Cowlitz County spend about $761.8M a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 45% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
Cowlitz County has 121 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 27.5 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Official counts show 82 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Cowlitz County in 2023, up 13.9% from 2019. That is one for every 536 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 277 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Cowlitz County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Cowlitz County is 54 (upper middle), #873 of 2,229 scored counties and #17 of 35 scored counties in Washington.
How Cowlitz County compares
The same measures for Washington and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Cowlitz County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.5 | 42.1 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 145 | 108 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 536 | 317 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.9% | +13.5% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $17,336 | $19,779 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $76,531 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 82+13.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 209
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 277Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1218 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 176The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Cowlitz County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Cowlitz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,885+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 43,943
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,141 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $76,531+40.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,669
- Median home value
- $397,500
- Jobs located here
- 40,531
- Daytime population
- 95,784Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cowlitz County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Cowlitz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Washington, with Cowlitz County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, WA | 87 | 6 | 12.4 | 314 | +9.7% | #2 of 2,229 |
| 2Douglas County, WA | 78 | 15 | 9.4 | 451 | +8.0% | #46 of 2,229 |
| 3Franklin County, WA | 77 | 26 | 8.7 | 491 | +5.6% | #64 of 2,229 |
| 4Skamania County, WA | 77 | 7 | 13.9 | 312 | +5.2% | #69 of 2,229 |
| 5Asotin County, WA | 75 | 12 | 12.6 | 317 | +1.0% | #100 of 2,229 |
| 6Klickitat County, WA | 73 | 14 | 14.2 | 285 | +6.6% | #140 of 2,229 |
| 7Pacific County, WA | 69 | 17 | 15.5 | 249 | +3.6% | #230 of 2,229 |
| 8Stevens County, WA | 66 | 40 | 20.6 | 190 | +6.6% | #348 of 2,229 |
| 9Adams County, WA | 66 | 15 | 23.9 | 161 | +4.3% | #355 of 2,229 |
| 10Grant County, WA | 62 | 77 | 21.8 | 181 | +6.3% | #505 of 2,229 |
| 17Cowlitz County, WA | 54 | 121 | 27.5 | 145 | +3.5% | #873 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Cowlitz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Cowlitz County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 121 real estate businesses in Cowlitz County. 8 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 82 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 13.9% from 2019. Official counts list 277 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cowlitz County, WA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $761.8M a year, or $17,336 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 121 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 45% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,943 households in Cowlitz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cowlitz County, WA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Cowlitz County has 27.5 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 145, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Cowlitz County would have about 176, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 536 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Cowlitz County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Cowlitz County at 114,885 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,943 households. Median household income in Cowlitz County is $76,531, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.4%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Cowlitz County scores 54 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #873 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cowlitz County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Cowlitz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowlitz County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Cowlitz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.