Official Federal Data
Thurston County, Washington
FIPS 53067 · Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA · Population 299,067
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$96,563 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$21.6B ▲
GDP
38.5% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$96,563 ▲
Per Capita
$46,136 ▲
Mean Household
$114,140 ▲
Poverty Rate
9.5% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Thurston County$96,563
Washington$98,141
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.9%
18-34 · 21.8%
35-54 · 26.4%
55-64 · 12.1%
65+ · 18.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.1 pts
38.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +2.8 pts
14.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +0.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
299,067
Population
149,994
Labor Force
Employed
135,796
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.4%
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
20.5%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 17,170 workers (23.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $70,020.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $21.6B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $122,348 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $30,024, a 4.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
959
Cluster Employment
6.86x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Forestry and Logging
6.86x 262
Crop Production
1.58x 697
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.11x
Machinery Manufacturing
96 employed
0.16x
Chemical Manufacturing
121 employed
0.16x
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
188 employed
0.21x
Air Transportation
102 employed
0.26x
Food Manufacturing
383 employed
0.38x
Printing and Related Support Activities
109 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Forestry and Logging concentrates at 6.86x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$480,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,736 ▲
Rent/Mo
67.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
5% ▼
Vacancy
5.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,538/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,682/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,960/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,613/mo
4 Bedroom
$3,288/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,414/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 5.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,414/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
180,615 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
20.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
75%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
38.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
37,363/yr
15,671/yr
9,043/yr
3,831/yr
3,463/yr
2,968/yr
2,387/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46%
Service
15.6%
Sales & Office
20.5%
Construction / Maint.
7.9%
Production / Transport
10.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 135,796 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 28,545 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Thurston County shows strong potential for forestry and logging attraction, with a 6.86x concentration and 262 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Thurston County, Washington, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Thurston County, Washington?
299,067 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Thurston County, Washington?
$96,563 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Thurston County, Washington?
4.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Thurston County, Washington?
$21.6B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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