City · Mason County, Washington

Shelton, Washington

Shelton is a city in Mason County, Washington, part of the Shelton, WA metro area. It has 10,612 residents. Shelton, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 20 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,572 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #374 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on median Air Quality Index (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), math scores (low) and reading scores (low).

20Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,572 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #374 of 395 in WA
Population: 10,612 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,641.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 5363735

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety24#11,861/15,637
Economy38#9,687/15,631
Housing40#8,948/14,977
Health12#13,769/15,609
Healthcare13#13,653/15,650
Environment97#530/15,453
Education6#14,753/15,649
Infrastructure55#7,089/15,650
Community25#11,795/15,651
Leisure & amenities6#14,747/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Shelton, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Mason 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 · low23
97/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMason County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.7 µg/m³
93/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMason County value
Hot days · low3 days
90/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMason County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Washington 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMason County value
New homes permitted · high5.9 /1k
80/100Washington 4.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Broadband subscriptions · high93.9%
76/100Washington 93.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high67.3 /100k
1/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMason County value
Math scores · low2.31
1/100Washington 2.91United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMason County value
Reading scores · low2.47
1/100Washington 2.98United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMason County value
Suicide rate · high30.7 /100k
3/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMason County value
Pharmacies · low0.4 /10k
3/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMason County value
Social associations · low4.8 /10k
6/100Washington 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMason County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
1.6 /1k (2021) → 5.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+282%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
41.4% (2015-2019) → 19.2% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.9% (2015-2019) → 93.9% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,809 (2015-2019) → $69,598 (2020-2024)
+71%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
26.9% (2015-2019) → 17.4% (2020-2024)
−9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.6% (2015-2019) → 51.8% (2020-2024)
−7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Shelton, Washington improved on 6 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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.

Improved6

Child poverty−22 points41.4% → 19.2%
Household income+71%$40,809 → $69,598
Poverty−9.5 points26.9% → 17.4%
Unemployment−3.8 points7.6% → 3.8%
Broadband+18 points75.9% → 93.9%

Declined1

Price / income+1.0×4.0× → 5.0×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Shelton, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.8 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	−2.7 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.4%2015-2019	18.1%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Improved	72%
Broadband subscriptions	75.9%2015-2019	93.9%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	87%
Child poverty rate	41.4%2015-2019	19.2%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	0.89%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
High school diploma or higher	79.8%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	5.0×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	23%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4252015-2019	0.4112020-2024	−0.015	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$40,8092015-2019	$69,5982020-2024	+71%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	26.9%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Improved	92%
Rent as share of income	34.3%2015-2019	31.1%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent-burdened households	59.6%2015-2019	51.8%2020-2024	−7.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Unemployment rate	7.6%2015-2019	3.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Improved	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.5%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	68%

“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 Shelton, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Shelton, 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, Shelton, Washington itself moved +14.8 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

10,612 residents (±72)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

3,515 households (±279)

Shelton, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k19%666
$25k–50k16%554
$50k–75k19%659

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,515 households (±279)

Shelton, Washington
Washington share

Own62%2,179
Rent38%1,336

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+10.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

4,049 workers (±355)

Shelton, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone73%2,963
Carpool14%†575
Public transit0.6%†

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 Shelton, 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 Mason County, the county holding most of Shelton's residents.

Mason County has 1,072 employer establishments, 156 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248; 0.60× Washington's), with 10,138 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,417. The Census Bureau also counts 3,578 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,072; 3,578 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 156; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 10,138
Average annual pay: $50,417; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	117	17	1.10×About typical	454	$49,282	191
Restaurants and other eating places	93	13.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,097	$24,475	10
Construction of buildings	72	10.5	1.38×More than typical	267	$51,045	133
Lessors of real estate	61	8.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	106	$40,538	356
Ambulatory health care services	52	7.6	0.36×Fewer than typical	287	$67,892	146
Services to buildings and dwellings	50	7.3	1.08×About typical	172	$38,459	309
Full-service restaurants	38	5.5	0.72×Fewer than typical	427	$27,698	5
Real estate agents and brokers	34	4.9	1.02×About typical	64	$43,938	132
Building equipment contractors	33	4.8	0.80×Fewer than typical	120	$55,475	26
Limited-service restaurants	32	4.7	0.58×Fewer than typical	506	$23,158	3
Landscaping services	31	4.5	1.29×More than typical	101	$43,762	170
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	30	4.4	1.38×More than typical	109	$50,128	20

Rank places for an industry Open Mason County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 68,768 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 $4,408 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Shelton, Washington: $0.42 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,408; +71% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.42; US $1,994
Sole-source: 54%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Top recipients

MMFITZ LLC$2,20750%
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION$1,70139%
HOUSE BROS. CONSTRUCTION INC.$3307.5%
MASON COUNTY GARBAGE CO., INC.$1703.9%
TRUFAB LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

5.1KFY2017
9.1KFY2018
9.6KFY2019
20.3KFY2020
3.9KFY2021
931.9FY2022
284.4KFY2023
249.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Legal services · 5411$2,20750%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1,70139%
Utility system construction · 2371$3307.5%
Waste collection · 5621$1703.9%

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 Shelton, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Shelton, Washington's figures are part of those of Mason County, WA ($1.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Mason 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.

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

House

Emily RandallD-WA-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 3.0%

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.

Mason County42100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Shelton, WA38

Other cities and towns in Mason 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/5363735

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends