ZIP Code 98438 — McChord AFB CDP, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98438 covers McChord AFB, WA in Pierce County with a population of about 568.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 22.2 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 253; U.S. House district WA-10; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

McChord AFB, WA reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (elevated veteran share (100.0%) and/or base-related place names). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 98438 is about $21,023 — about 72% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 32.0%; unemployment rate near 0.0%; 24.2% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 9.5 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Retail trade; a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Housing tenure and rents show owner-occupancy near 0.0% (about 65.4 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for McChord AFB CDP, WA as Relatively High (composite score 98.5), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (96.2) and wildfire (76.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for McChord AFB CDP, WA show little to no average snow and around 40.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 31 for ZIP 98438 (McChord AFB CDP, WA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.