City · Lewis County, Washington

Morton, Washington

Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, part of the Centralia, WA metro area. It has 1,206 residents. Morton, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 31 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,822 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #343 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on median Air Quality Index (low), mental health providers (high) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on unemployment rate (high), flu vaccinations (low) and depression (high).

31Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,822 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #343 of 395 in WA
Population: 1,206 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,468.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 5347175

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety48#8,125/15,637
Economy35#10,127/15,631
Housing42#8,746/14,977
Health17#12,982/15,609
Healthcare47#8,310/15,650
Environment91#1,336/15,453
Education17#13,010/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,013/15,650
Community26#11,629/15,651
Leisure & amenities66#5,264/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Morton, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lewis County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Median Air Quality Index · low20
98/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLewis County value
Mental health providers · high685 /100k
96/100Washington 568 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Washington 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.2 µg/m³
86/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLewis County value
Hot days · low5 days
86/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLewis County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100Washington 0.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLewis County value

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high15.9%
2/100Washington 4.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Flu vaccinations · low26.0%
3/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Depression · high30.1%
5/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Child care cost burden · high41.8%
5/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Drug overdose deaths · high34.8 /100k
6/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLewis County value
Mammography screening · low34.0%
6/100Washington 41.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,013 (2015-2019) → 1,206 (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
74.5% (2015-2019) → 47.8% (2020-2024)
−27 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Unemployment rateWorsening
6.6% (2015-2019) → 15.9% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$41,154 (2015-2019) → $57,813 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
37.0% (2015-2019) → 29.5% (2020-2024)
−7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.8× (2015-2019) → 5.2× (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Morton, Washington improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Morton, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.8%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Broadband subscriptions	69.3%2015-2019	71.9%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	85.0%2015-2019	85.3%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	5.2×2020-2024	+1.4×	Within the margin of error	11%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3892015-2019	0.4192020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	26%
Median household income	$41,1542015-2019	$57,8132020-2024	+40%	Within the margin of error	75%
Poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	13.7%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent as share of income	37.0%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	74.5%2015-2019	47.8%2020-2024	−27 points	Within the margin of error	97%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Morton, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Morton, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Morton, Washington itself moved +5.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,206 residents (±318)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 men (+5.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,206 residents (±318)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

White79%955
Black5.1%†62
Hispanic or Latino3.0%†36

Education

876 residents (±200)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma15%†129
High school or GED38%†337
Some college27%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

509 households (±123)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k28%†142
$25k–50k18%†91
$50k–75k21%†106
$75k–100k11%†57
$100k–150k12%†63
$150k–200k6.9%†35
$200k or more2.9%†15

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+6.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

509 households (±123)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Own76%†386
Rent24%†123

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

113 households (±59)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Under $75035%†39
$750–1,00035%†40
$1,000–1,50022%†25

Home values

386 homes (±122)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k2.3%†9
$150k–250k24%†93
$250k–400k52%†200

Age of homes

587 homes (±130)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later2.0%†12
2000–20094.3%†25
1980–199913%†76

Size of homes

587 homes (±130)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Studio1.7%†10
1 bedroom5.1%†30
2 bedrooms29%†173

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

397 workers (±150)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone55%†217
Carpool16%†63
Public transit0.0%0
Walk20%†81
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.1%†36
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (+12.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

361 workers (±136)

Morton, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min43%†154
15–29 min25%†90
30–44 min5.8%†21

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Centralia, WA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lewis County, the county holding most of Morton's residents.

Lewis County has 1,990 employer establishments, 231 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Washington's), with 22,275 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,946. The Census Bureau also counts 4,565 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,990; 4,565 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 231; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 22,275
Average annual pay: $52,946; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lewis County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	169	19.6	1.27×More than typical	792	$60,226	277
Restaurants and other eating places	167	19.4	1.05×About typical	2,222	$26,153	19
Ambulatory health care services	133	15.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,797	$68,928	167
Construction of buildings	110	12.7	1.69×More than typical	400	$57,583	122
Lessors of real estate	98	11.4	0.92×About typical	269	$48,933	451
Truck transportation	84	9.7	1.93×More than typical	562	$77,130	140
Full-service restaurants	77	8.9	1.16×About typical	921	$30,029	5
Limited-service restaurants	51	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	984	$23,679	7
Automotive repair and maintenance	50	5.8	1.15×About typical	259	$48,027	67
Building equipment contractors	50	5.8	0.96×About typical	261	$62,126	50
Religious organizations	47	5.4	0.98×About typical	310	$23,426	—
Other specialty trade contractors	45	5.2	2.08×More than typical	201	$68,567	112

Rank places for an industry Open Lewis County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,277 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Morton is mostly in Lewis County.

See federal money in Lewis County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Morton, Washington is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marie Gluesenkamp PerezD-WA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lewis County51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Centralia, WA49

Other cities and towns in Lewis County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5347175