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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-CENTRALIA-WA · Centralia, WA 18,457 pop · income 23rd 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 Centralia
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Centralia on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Zephyrhills · lowest
49,295
Zephyrhills · lowest
49,295 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #1
Livingston · near
52,385
Livingston · near
52,385 median HH income
36.3% of the leader · rank #2
Bradford · near
52,386
Bradford · near
52,386 median HH income
36.3% of the leader · rank #3
North English · near
52,386
North English · near
52,386 median HH income
36.3% of the leader · rank #4
Centralia · this city
52,387
Centralia · this city
52,387 median HH income
36.3% of the leader · rank #5
Cayuga · near
52,393
Cayuga · near
52,393 median HH income
36.3% of the leader · rank #6
Newburyport · highest
144,259
Newburyport · highest
144,259 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, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Centralia on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 18,457.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Centralia - the verdict
Nationally, Centralia sits in the 23rd percentile for household income and the 16th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
23rd
percentile, household income
59th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
16th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Centralia, WA
18,457 people live in Centralia, Washington - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Centralia report a median income of $52,387 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 16.2%. Home values in Centralia run a median of $267,600, and the median resident age is 37.8 years. 17.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 16 residential building permits were authorized in Centralia (Construction Slowdown), down 62% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Centralia's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 3007.6 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Centralia's yearly average temperature at 51.5°F with 41.6 inches of precipitation per year.
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Washington at 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). 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. Commute times here average 24.9 minutes, with 70.4% driving alone and 5.4% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Centralia'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 schools and households to population change to work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to reported crime to climate and hazard context; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Centralia, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Centralia?
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 17.6% 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 city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Is Centralia 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 +988 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 16 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 journey to work look like in Centralia?
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 70.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 24.9 minutes.
Which cities make useful reference points for Centralia?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Fairwood CDP (King County) (18,437 residents, $119,013 income); Ellensburg (18,913 residents, $49,888 income); Anacortes (17,837 residents, $89,788 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are North Decatur, GA (18,460 residents); Fort Carson, CO (18,447 residents); Newburyport, MA (18,444 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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Centralia?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 16.2%, 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.
Household income
$52,387
Home value
$267,600
Value / income
5.1×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Centralia?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3007.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 32% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2738.0
Violent rate
269.6
Total reported rate
3007.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 51.5°F, with 41.6 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Washington is 70.0 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
51.5°F
Annual precipitation
41.6 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
70.0
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
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.
Violent crime F
270 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$52,387
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
16.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
Centralia profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 37/100 (F) · 270 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 27/100 (F) · 17.6%
Household income: 23/100 (F) · $52,387
Poverty rate: 20/100 (F) · 16.2%
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where Centralia sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Centralia's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Centralia highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Centralia, WA (this city): home $267,600, crime 3,008/100k
Newburyport, MA : home $792,400, crime 442/100k
Newton, KS : home $151,800, crime 2,287/100k
Nederland, TX : home $196,600, crime 1,442/100k
Ellensburg, WA : home $357,800, crime 2,409/100k
Anacortes, WA : home $647,700, crime 1,589/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Centralia compare to other US cities?
Where Centralia sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income23% higher than other cities
Home value59% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety16% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Washington alone, Centralia ranks #110 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Centralia 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 Centralia near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Centralia ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Centralia only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#500 of 565
12th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#436 of 565
23rd percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#69 of 598
88th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#441 of 599
26th 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
23rd percentile nationally for median household income · 16th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Centralia's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Centralia's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Centralia's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$267,60041st percentilemore affordable than 41% 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
Centralia's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,084 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,674 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 5.1×, Centralia sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,084 of 15,516 and #2,674 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$52,387Centralia, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Centralia, 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 Centralia, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)16.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
18,457
Median Income
$52,387
Median Home Value
$267,600
Median Age
37.8
Poverty Rate
16.2%
Labor force participation
52.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3007.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
269.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2738.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
51.5°F
Annual Precipitation
41.6"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Centralia's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
18,387 residents
2021
18,792 residents
2022
18,842 residents
2023
18,974 residents
2024
19,062 residents
2025
19,375 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
16
housing units authorized
Single-Family
7
detached homes
Multifamily
9
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
42
34
8
$7.7M
2020
59
28
31
$10.9M
2021
80
28
52
$13.0M
2022
67
45
22
$14.9M
2023
10
10
0
$3.6M
2024
16
7
9
$3.4M
Permit volume decreased 62% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
24.9 minutes
Drive Alone
70.4%
Carpool
17.9%
Public Transit
1.5%
Walk
3.6%
Work from Home
5.4%
Other
1.2%
Based on 7,442 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 Centralia. 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 Centralia 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 Centralia sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Centralia 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, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.