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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-OLYMPIA-WA · Olympia, WA 55,583 pop · income 58th 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 Olympia
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Olympia on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
New Brunswick · lowest
60,248
New Brunswick · lowest
60,248 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #1
Lake Isabella · near
76,923
Lake Isabella · near
76,923 median HH income
58.2% of the leader · rank #2
La France · near
76,926
La France · near
76,926 median HH income
58.2% of the leader · rank #3
Olympia · this city
76,930
Olympia · this city
76,930 median HH income
58.2% of the leader · rank #4
Boulder Hill · near
76,935
Boulder Hill · near
76,935 median HH income
58.2% of the leader · rank #5
Hustisford · near
76,938
Hustisford · near
76,938 median HH income
58.2% of the leader · rank #6
Bothell · highest
132,232
Bothell · highest
132,232 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 Olympia 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: 55,583.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Olympia - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Olympia places in the 58th percentile for household income and the 7th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
58th
percentile, household income
82nd
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
7th
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: Olympia, WA
Washington's Olympia is a small city, with 55,583 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Olympia report a median income of $76,930 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.2%. Home values in Olympia run a median of $457,900, and the median resident age is 39.2 years. Educational attainment runs 50.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 57.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 282 residential building permits were authorized in Olympia (Construction Slowdown), down 30% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Olympia's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 4000.0 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 50.5°F with 50.6 inches of precipitation per year and 3.9 inches of snowfall.
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Washington scores 107.0 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,472 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Washington's average monthly utility costs around $188 (state average). 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 Olympia'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 work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income to reported crime to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Olympia, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
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.
1. Population change
Is Olympia 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 +1,105 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 282 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 Olympia?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 50.0% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Olympia?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Lacey (57,088 residents, $87,277 income); Shoreline (59,280 residents, $113,336 income); Burien (51,331 residents, $90,597 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Coeur d'Alene, ID (55,558 residents); Arcadia, CA (55,550 residents); Southaven, MS (55,531 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 Olympia?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.2%, 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
$76,930
Home value
$457,900
Value / income
6.0×
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 Olympia?
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 4000.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 75% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
3435.2
Violent rate
564.8
Total reported rate
4000.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.5°F, with 50.6 inches of precipitation and 3.9 inches of annual snowfall. 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
50.5°F
Annual precipitation
50.6 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.
Above median income · poverty 10.2% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Washington average
D
City profile score · Olympia, WA
40/100
5 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.
Bachelor's+ share A-
50.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income C
$76,930
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
10.2%
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.
Violent crime F
565 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Olympia profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 84/100 (A-) · 50.0%
Household income: 56/100 (C) · $76,930
Poverty rate: 39/100 (F) · 10.2%
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Violent crime: 12/100 (F) · 565 /100k
Where Olympia sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Olympia'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 - Olympia highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
Olympia, WA (this city): home $457,900, crime 4,000/100k
Coeur d'Alene, ID : home $451,600, crime 1,197/100k
Arcadia, CA : home $1,336,500, crime 3,051/100k
Southaven, MS : home $214,800, crime 2,329/100k
Mount Prospect, IL : home $377,000, crime 977/100k
Apple Valley, MN : home $354,200, crime 1,883/100k
New Brunswick, NJ : home $316,800, crime 3,325/100k
Lacey, WA : home $427,900, crime 2,655/100k
Shoreline, WA : home $759,400, crime 2,745/100k
Burien, WA : home $609,300, crime 3,820/100k
Richland, WA : home $401,800, crime 2,190/100k
Bothell, WA : home $871,300, crime 1,479/100k
Lakewood, WA : home $420,500, crime 4,270/100k
How does Olympia compare to other US cities?
Where Olympia sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income58% higher than other cities
Home value82% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety7% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Washington and the picture shifts: Olympia ranks #135 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Olympia 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 Olympia near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Olympia ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Olympia only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#324 of 565
43rd percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#236 of 565
58th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#150 of 598
74th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#70 of 599
88th 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
58th percentile nationally for median household income · 7th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Olympia's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Olympia'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 Olympia's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$457,90018th percentilemore affordable than 18% 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
Olympia's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,063 of 15,516
More affordable than 9% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#574 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 6.0×, Olympia sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,063 of 15,516 and #574 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
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
$76,930Olympia, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Olympia, 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 Olympia, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)50.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
55,583
Median Income
$76,930
Median Home Value
$457,900
Median Age
39.2
Poverty Rate
10.2%
Labor force participation
57.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4000.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
564.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3435.2
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
50.5°F
Annual Precipitation
50.6"
Annual Snowfall
3.9"
Schools
Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Olympia's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
55,619 residents
2021
56,055 residents
2022
55,933 residents
2023
55,845 residents
2024
56,118 residents
2025
56,724 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
282
housing units authorized
Single-Family
58
detached homes
Multifamily
224
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
401
29
372
$44.4M
2020
196
40
156
$26.5M
2021
263
132
131
$60.0M
2022
338
49
289
$64.0M
2023
191
53
138
$42.8M
2024
282
58
224
$58.9M
Permit volume decreased 30% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
62.7%
Carpool
8.0%
Public Transit
2.5%
Walk
4.4%
Work from Home
20.5%
Other
1.9%
Based on 27,073 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 Olympia. 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 Olympia 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 Olympia sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Olympia 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.