Washington 17th State Senate District, Washington: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted D+4%. Democratic peak: D+5 in 2008.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+4MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 157,5122024 5-year
- Median household income
- $94,5752024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 76.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 12.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+5 in 2008MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+3 in 2016MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Legislative (Senate) District 17, WAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 42,973 | 39,784 | 85,693 | ||
| D | 42,321 | 40,328 | 85,325 | ||
| R | 28,264 | 29,927 | 65,418 | ||
| R | 29,076 | 29,505 | 60,578 | ||
| D | 30,000 | 26,904 | 58,313 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
16.7%
English
13.7%
Irish
10.4%
American
4.7%
Scottish
2.9%
Italian
2.9%
French
2.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$94,575
Legislative (Senate) District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Legislative (Senate) District 17$94,575
Washington$98,141
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
8.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 188.9%
Working age (18–64)8.2%
Seniors (65+)9.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
84.7%
speak English only
Spanish6.9%
Other Indo-European4.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.2%
Other languages0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 63.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Anchored in rural southeastern Washington, this district delivered a 26.8-point margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most consistently right-leaning constituencies in both federal and state legislative contests.
The Democratic margin in Washington 17th State Senate District has rarely exceeded five points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded three points. 2024 delivered the district to the Democratic candidate by four points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 77% non-Hispanic-white share, a 9% poverty rate, and a median household income of $94,575 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/sld-upper/53017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington vote in 2024?
In 2024, Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington voted Democratic by 3.7 points (D+4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 85,693 votes cast, 42,973 went Democratic and 39,784 went Republican.
What is Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 3 times, Republican 2 times, and other 0 times.
When did Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington voted Republican was 2016.
How many people live in Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington?
Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington has a population of 157,512 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington?
Median household income in Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington is $94,575 — above the national median of $80,734. The Washington state median is $98,141.
What is the political history of Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Legislative (Senate) District 17, Washington from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 2 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.