Unveiling The Top 5 Counties In Washington With High Cancer Rates

A little more than 38,000 cases of all types of cancer - that affects men and women - are reported annually in the state of Washington. The following is from a report from Cancer.gov - dealing with incidents from 2016 to 2020.

What is the average rate of getting cancer in Washington?

An average of 434 people out of 100,000 are dealing with some cancer every year. Washington’s cancer rate falls below the national average of 442 cases out of 100,000 per year. 

Top 5 Washington counties reporting all types of cancer incidents

These five counties all have rates higher than the Washington state average.

1 - Clallam County.  An average of 491 out of 100,000 people deal with cancer. This is the county sitting on top of the Olympic Peninsula. Its biggest city is Port Angeles.

2 - Mason County. An average of 489 out of 100,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in this Western Washington county. Shelton known as the Christmas tree center of America, as well as the southern portion of Hood Canal, calls Mason County home.

3 - Jefferson County. 484 out of 100,000 people deal with cancer here. Its biggest town is Port Townsend. Jefferson County stretches from the Pacific shore, across the Olympic Mountains to Northern Puget Sound.

4 - Skagit County. An average of 483 people out of 100,000 people have cancer in Skagit County. An area known for Mt. Vernon, La Conner, and the beautiful tulip fields that explode to life in mid-April.

5 - Kitsap County. 480 out of 100,000 people come down with some type of cancer here. My childhood home in Bremerton, as well as Poulsbo, Port Orchard, the Bangor Submarine Base, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, call Kitsap County home.

Other Washington counties in the top 8 include Grays Harbor, Island, and Pierce County. 

The County with the highest average rate of cancer - East of the Cascades

The county with the 9th highest average occurrence of cancer in Washington and the highest average rate in the 509 is: 

Chelan County

An average of 476 out of 100,000 people are dealing with some form of cancer here. Chelan County is home to Wenatchee - The proud Apple Capital of the World. The vacation hotspots of Leavenworth and Lake Chelan both call Chelan County home.

The five counties East of the Cascades with the highest cancer rates

1 - Chelan - 9th overall in Washington. 476 out of 100,000 deal with cancer

2 - Okanogan - 12th overall in Washington. 469 out of 100,000 deal with cancer

3 - Douglas - 14th overall in Washington. 452 out of 100,000 deal with cancer.

4 - Grant - 17th overall in WA. 414 out of 100,000 deal with cancer (below the state average.)

5 - Yakima -  20th overall in WA. 399 out of 100,000 people have cancer. Also below the state average.

To get the full report - including breakdowns for men, women, and various cancer types - click this link from Cancer.gov.
INFO: Cancer.gov