ZIP Code 98502 — Olympia city, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98502 covers Olympia, WA in Thurston County with a population of about 35,043.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.8 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area codes 360, 564; U.S. House district WA-10; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

Olympia, WA sits in a university / college context (near the evergreen state college (2.3 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 98502 is about $87,154 — about 16% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 13.5%; unemployment rate near 5.7%; 51.7% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 18.0 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Public administration, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 17.8% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.6 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $496,500 — about 43% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,417 (about 22% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 56.6% (about 8.8 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98502 in Olympia, WA, a household would need roughly $137,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $3,189. That is about 57% above the local median household income ($87,154), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Olympia city, WA as Relatively High (composite score 94.5), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (90.8) and wildfire (57.1). 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 Olympia city, WA show little to no average snow and around 50.6 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,882 for ZIP 98502 (Olympia city, 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.