Ham radio operators in Washington: new licenses by county
32,732 licensed amateur radio operators; 965 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 72
- New hams · last 12 months
- 965
- ▼ 6% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 32,732
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 390
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 266
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 287
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 2,151
About ham radio in Washington
New licenses held steady in Washington: 965 new hams in the past 12 months (down 6% from the year before). Washington ranks #5 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. King County leads the state with 311 new hams. Among larger counties, Clark County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 54% of the state’s licensees, above the U.S. average of 48%, a lot of newer operators who could use a mentor and a club to call home.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 88 |
| Dec 2025 | 110 |
| Jan 2026 | 90 |
| Feb 2026 | 49 |
| Mar 2026 | 99 |
| Apr 2026 | 118 |
| May 2026 | 86 |
| Jun 2026 | 122 |
| Jul 2026 | 53 |
| Aug 2026 | 60 |
| Sep 2026 | 55 |
| Total | 932 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 17,672 | 54% | 48% |
| General | 7,874 | 24% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 5,724 | 18% | 21% |
| Advanced | 856 | 3% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 606 | 2% | 2% |
Bar = Washington share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 163 operators upgraded to General and 200 to Amateur Extra.
How Washington compares
#5 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 29.5 | 33.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 11.9 | 15.3 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 65.7 | 58.2 |
965 new hams in Washington this past year. Get next month’s list free.
Sign Up Free →Top 10 Washington counties for new hams
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King County | 311 | ▲ 1% | 9,017 | 34.5 |
| 2 | Snohomish County | 90 | ▼ 11% | 3,197 | 28.2 |
| 3 | Pierce County | 73 | ▼ 28% | 3,216 | 22.7 |
| 4 | Kitsap County | 70 | ▼ 1% | 1,745 | 40.1 |
| 5 | Clark County | 66 | ▲ 32% | 2,192 | 30.1 |
| 6 | Whatcom County | 43 | ▲ 23% | 1,124 | 38.3 |
| 7 | Spokane County | 38 | ▼ 21% | 1,777 | 21.4 |
| 8 | Jefferson County | 28 | — | 554 | 50.5 |
| 9 | Island County | 23 | ▼ 34% | 700 | 32.9 |
| 10 | Cowlitz County | 20 | ▲ 100% | 466 | 42.9 |
— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.
All Washington counties
31 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Benton County16 new hams in 12 months
- Chelan County6 new hams in 12 months
- Clallam County5 new hams in 12 months
- Clark County66 new hams in 12 months
- Cowlitz County20 new hams in 12 months
- Douglas County9 new hams in 12 months
- Franklin County3 new hams in 12 months
- Grant County2 new hams in 12 months
- Grays Harbor County6 new hams in 12 months
- Island County23 new hams in 12 months
- Jefferson County28 new hams in 12 months
- King County311 new hams in 12 months
- Kitsap County70 new hams in 12 months
- Kittitas County5 new hams in 12 months
- Klickitat County2 new hams in 12 months
- Lewis County1 new hams in 12 months
- Mason County5 new hams in 12 months
- Okanogan County2 new hams in 12 months
- Pacific County2 new hams in 12 months
- Pend Oreille County2 new hams in 12 months
- Pierce County73 new hams in 12 months
- San Juan County8 new hams in 12 months
- Skagit County13 new hams in 12 months
- Snohomish County90 new hams in 12 months
- Spokane County38 new hams in 12 months
- Stevens County2 new hams in 12 months
- Thurston County20 new hams in 12 months
- Walla Walla County3 new hams in 12 months
- Whatcom County43 new hams in 12 months
- Whitman County3 new hams in 12 months
- Yakima County14 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Washington counties
These 8 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 27 | 0 |
| Asotin County | 72 | 3 |
| Columbia County | 11 | 0 |
| Ferry County | 150 | 0 |
| Garfield County | 8 | 0 |
| Lincoln County | 40 | 1 |
| Skamania County | 104 | 1 |
| Wahkiakum County | 67 | 0 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Washington
How many ham radio operators are in Washington?
32,732 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Washington as of Oct 12, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Washington last year?
965 people in Washington received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 12, 2026.
Which Washington counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: King County (311), Snohomish County (90) and Pierce County (73).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of Washington licensees could be matched to a county.