Census snapshot: Index

This is one of a series of looks at Snohomish and Island county communities based on data from the U.S. Census of 2010.

The Skykomish Indians lived in the Skykomish River valley where the town of Index eventually would be settled.

A gold strike in 1889 at nearby Monte Cristo brought white prospectors and settlers. Amos D. Gunn and his wife, Persis, purchased a claim and a small cabin, according to HistoryLink.org. They constructed a larger building, which became the primary hotel and supply depot for miners. In the 1890s, the Great Northern Railway was built, enabling Index to prosper as a shipping point for timber, copper and granite.

The town, incorporated in 1907, was named for Index Mountain, which today is called Mount Baring. The Mount Index of today, which at 5,991 feet towers over the town, was known as West Index Mountain.

Index population vs. Snohomish County and Washington

	Index	County	Washington
Population, 2010	178	713,335	6,724,540
Population change, 2000 to 2010	13.3%	17.7%	14.1%
Population, 2000	157	606,024	5,894,121
Persons under 5 years	10.1%	6.6%	6.5%
Persons under 18 years	22.5%	24.4%	23.5%
Persons 65 years and over	12.4%	10.3%	12.3%
Female persons	52.8%	50.0%	50.2%
White persons	95.5%	78.4%	77.3%
Black persons	0.0%	2.5%	3.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons	0.0%	1.4%	1.5%
Asian persons	1.7%	8.9%	7.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders	0.6%	0.4%	0.6%
Persons reporting two or more races	1.7%	4.6%	4.7%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin	4.5%	9.0%	11.2%
White persons not Hispanic	92.7	74.3%	72.5%