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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-CATHLAMET-WA · Cathlamet, WA 569 pop · income 32nd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Cathlamet
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Cathlamet on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Crooked Creek · lowest
26,467
Crooked Creek · lowest
26,467 median HH income
10.6% of the leader · rank #1
Cathlamet · this city
57,750
Cathlamet · this city
57,750 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #2
Caldwell · near
57,750
Caldwell · near
57,750 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #3
Crawford · near
57,750
Crawford · near
57,750 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #4
Bowersville · near
57,750
Bowersville · near
57,750 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #5
Livingston · near
57,750
Livingston · near
57,750 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #6
Candlewood Is… · highest
250,001
Candlewood Is… · highest
250,001 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Cathlamet on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 569.
Cathlamet ranks in the 32nd percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
32nd
percentile, household income
74th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Cathlamet, WA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 569 residents in Cathlamet, a small town within Washington. Cathlamet households earn a median of $57,750 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.9%. Home values in Cathlamet run a median of $364,900, and the median resident age is 57.3 years. Educational attainment runs 18.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 35.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 5 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Low Activity).
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,472 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Washington run around $188, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 70.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Cathlamet's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Cathlamet, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Cathlamet growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +51 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +9.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 5 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the education layer cover for Cathlamet?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 18.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
How far does income reach against housing in Cathlamet?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Cathlamet?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Ashford (570 residents, $110,785 income); Skokomish (558 residents, $56,250 income); Chinook (557 residents, $132,792 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Hytop, AL (569 residents); Candlewood Isle, CT (569 residents); Crooked Creek, GA (569 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Cathlamet?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.6%
Work from home
5.5%
Drive alone
75.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 181 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 8.9% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Washington average
F
City profile score · Cathlamet, WA
30/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate D
8.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$57,750
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
18.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
107.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Cathlamet profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 44/100 (D) · 8.9%
Household income: 31/100 (F) · $57,750
Bachelor's+ share: 31/100 (F) · 18.7%
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
How does Cathlamet compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cathlamet stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income32% higher than other cities
Home value74% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cathlamet against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Washington only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Washington-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Cathlamet near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cathlamet ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cathlamet only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#458 of 565
19th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#336 of 565
41st percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#188 of 598
68th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#417 of 599
30th percentile in Washington
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Washington only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
32nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Cathlamet's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$364,90026th percentilemore affordable than 26% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Cathlamet's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,341 of 15,516
More affordable than 8% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,604 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 6.3×, Cathlamet sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,341 of 15,516 and #10,604 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$57,750Cathlamet, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Cathlamet, WA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Cathlamet, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)18.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)35.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
569
Median Income
$57,750
Median Home Value
$364,900
Median Age
57.3
Poverty Rate
8.9%
Labor force participation
35.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.7%
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Cathlamet's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
559 residents
2021
571 residents
2022
581 residents
2023
595 residents
2024
602 residents
2025
610 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
5
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
5
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
8.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
1
1
0
$0.3M
2022
9
9
0
$3.2M
2023
4
2
2
$1.2M
2024
5
0
5
$1.0M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.7%
Carpool
1.7%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
11.6%
Work from Home
5.5%
Other
4.9%
Based on 181 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Washington statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $188
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Washington at $188 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $55 ).
These are Washington statewide averages, not a meter reading for Cathlamet. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Washington's BEA cost-of-living index is 107.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Cathlamet is $1,472/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Washington statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Washington statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Cathlamet sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Cathlamet compares to similar-size Washington cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.