Scores by category

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

Safety40#9,383/15,637
Economy54#7,254/15,631
Housing12#13,238/14,977
Health58#6,583/15,609
Healthcare58#6,589/15,650
Environment88#1,805/15,453
Education73#4,201/15,649
Infrastructure97#467/15,650
Community47#8,349/15,651
Leisure & amenities44#8,830/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Olympia, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Thurston 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 · low27
96/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyThurston County value
High school diploma or higher · high96.5%
96/100Washington 92.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Mental health providers · high616 /100k
93/100Washington 568 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteThurston County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,702 /100k
93/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteThurston County value
Physical inactivity · low16.0%
92/100Washington 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
89/100Washington 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauThurston County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high31.1 /100k
8/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataThurston County value
Rent-burdened households · high59.6%
8/100Washington 50.0%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Depression · high28.5%
10/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Home price to income ratio · high6.0×
10/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Suicide rate · high23.7 /100k
11/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataThurston County value
Mammography screening · low37.0%
11/100Washington 41.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteThurston County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
51,534 (2015-2019) → 55,951 (2020-2024)
+8.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.4% (2015-2019) → 94.8% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
43.6% (2015-2019) → 51.8% (2020-2024)
+8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$59,878 (2015-2019) → $81,302 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
55.4% (2015-2019) → 59.6% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.0× (2015-2019) → 6.0× (2020-2024)
+20%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, Olympia, Washington improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved3

Bachelor's++8.1 points43.6% → 51.8%
Broadband+12 points82.4% → 94.8%
Household income+36%$59,878 → $81,302

Declined3

Unemployment+2 points5.3% → 7.3%
Price / income+1.0×5.0× → 6.0×
Transit use−2 points3.9% → 1.9%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Olympia, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.3 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.6%2015-2019	51.8%2020-2024	+8.1 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	82.4%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	70%
Child poverty rate	18.3%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	0.85%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	54%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	96.5%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	5.0×2015-2019	6.0×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	22%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4362020-2024	−0.015	Within the margin of error	64%
Median household income	$59,8782015-2019	$81,3022020-2024	+36%	Improved	67%
Poverty rate	15.7%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Public transit commuters	3.9%2015-2019	1.9%2020-2024	−2 points	Declined	13%
Rent as share of income	32.4%2015-2019	34.6%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Rent-burdened households	55.4%2015-2019	59.6%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Unemployment rate	5.3%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	+2 points	Declined	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.3%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	50%

“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 Olympia, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Olympia, 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, Olympia, Washington itself moved +6 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

55,951 residents (±43)

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: 20–29 women (−2.1 points).

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

55,951 residents (±43)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

White71%39,834
Black2.7%1,528
Hispanic or Latino11%5,910
Asian6.7%3,748
American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%†287
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.2%†119
Other or two or more races8.1%4,525

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−4.7 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

41,665 residents (±934)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma3.5%1,450
High school or GED17%7,282
Some college19%7,844
Associate degree8.5%3,522
Bachelor's degree31%12,992
Graduate degree21%8,575

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+6.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

25,451 households (±610)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k16%4,055
$25k–50k15%3,794
$50k–75k16%4,144
$75k–100k13%3,277
$100k–150k21%5,261
$150k–200k9.6%2,433
$200k or more9.8%2,487

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−7.2 points).

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

25,451 households (±610)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Own50%12,685
Rent50%12,766

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

12,569 households (±589)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Under $7509.6%†1,205
$750–1,0005.6%†707
$1,000–1,50029%3,612

Home values

12,685 homes (±654)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k4.8%609
$150k–250k2.8%†358
$250k–400k16%2,061

Age of homes

26,795 homes (±605)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later14%3,631
2000–200911%3,006
1980–199928%7,428

Size of homes

26,795 homes (±605)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Studio4.7%1,263
1 bedroom16%4,213
2 bedrooms30%7,978

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

27,011 workers (±1,067)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone59%16,037
Carpool6.3%1,690
Public transit1.9%†519
Walk4.9%1,332
Bike1.1%†301
Work from home26%6,923
Other0.8%†209

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+20.1 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

20,088 workers (±1,132)

Olympia, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min46%9,189
15–29 min31%6,278
30–44 min14%2,810

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 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, 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 Thurston County, the county holding most of Olympia's residents.

Thurston County has 6,656 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.90× the US rate of 248; 0.86× Washington's), with 86,664 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,456. The Census Bureau also counts 18,681 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,656; 18,681 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 86,664
Average annual pay: $53,456; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	664	22.2	1.06×About typical	7,103	$67,699	1,303
Specialty trade contractors	524	17.5	1.13×About typical	4,008	$71,229	780
Restaurants and other eating places	493	16.5	0.90×About typical	8,407	$27,458	46
Lessors of real estate	375	12.5	1.02×About typical	1,112	$52,228	1,951
Construction of buildings	317	10.6	1.40×More than typical	1,666	$82,219	391
Offices of other health practitioners	252	8.4	1.39×More than typical	1,302	$45,654	847
Services to buildings and dwellings	222	7.4	1.10×About typical	1,168	$38,978	742
Limited-service restaurants	193	6.5	0.80×About typical	3,799	$23,812	21
Full-service restaurants	191	6.4	0.83×About typical	3,361	$32,727	10
Personal care services	174	5.8	1.22×About typical	861	$37,482	669
Offices of physicians	172	5.7	0.89×About typical	2,592	$82,025	202
Building equipment contractors	159	5.3	0.88×About typical	1,641	$81,152	109

Rank places for an industry Open Thurston County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 299,197 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

In FY2026, an estimated $1.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Olympia, Washington: $30.15 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.7M; −34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $30.15; US $1,994
Sole-source: 53%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.4%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Food and Drug Administration$358.1K21%
Federal Aviation Administration$298.5K18%
Social Security Administration$250.8K15%
Indian Health Service$170.7K10%
Forest Service$131.9K7.8%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$110.9K6.6%
Environmental Protection Agency$82.1K4.9%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$47.7K2.8%

Top recipients

HEALTH, WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF$377.8K22%
WASHINGTON STATE LIQUOR AND CANNABIS BOARD$334.2K20%
BURTON CONSTRUCTION, INC.$292.7K17%
BRUCH & BRUCH CONSTRUCTION, INC$110.6K6.6%
MIAMI ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY SOLUTIONS LLC$85.4K5.1%

Spending by fiscal year

697.5KFY2017
819KFY2018
799.8KFY2019
868.7KFY2020
771.5KFY2021
2MFY2022
1.1MFY2023
1.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Administration of human resource programs · 9231$368.9K22%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$351K21%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$323.9K19%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$132.8K7.9%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$127.2K7.5%
Advertising, public relations, and related services · 5418

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Olympia, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Olympia, Washington's figures are part of those of Thurston County, WA ($9.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 17% of that total.

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

See federal money in Thurston 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.

Olympia, Washington is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Thurston County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA81

Other cities and towns in Thurston 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/5351300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends