Population and Steets in Wapato City are very diverse. A large percentage of the population are Hispanic. The city experienced a large Hispanic population in the late 1990s, but the population has not yet reached the pre-1980s level of stability. Chicanos and Mexican immigrants have found employment in the city as a result of white flight. The largest non-agricultural businesses in the city are Hispanic-oriented. The top-grossing businesses are DLI construction and the Las Palmas Cantina, both owned by Hispanics. Downtown Wapato has experienced a small Hispanic revival, with all businesses being Hispanic.
The median age of the population was 24.9 years old. Twenty-one percent of residents were under the age of 18, while another third of the population was between the ages of 25 and 44. Twenty-four percent of residents were 25-44 years old, and six percent were 65 years old or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. In 2016, the median rent burden for households was 28.0%, lower than the state average of 30.8%.
The 1970 census found Wapato as the economic center of the Great Irrigation Project, and was undergoing a Mexican Town renaissance. Until the 1970s, Wapato was dominated by one major Hispanic group, migrant workers from the Southwest and mountain states. As the local economy changed, more Hispanics moved to Wapato, and the city became a Latino magnet.