ZIP Code 98943 — South Cle Elum town, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98943 covers South Cle Elum, WA in Kittitas County with a population of about 707.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 34.6 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 509; U.S. House district WA-8; the YAKIMA - PASCO - RCHLND - KNNWCK media market.

Median household income in ZIP 98943 is about $60,268 — about 20% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 32.0%; unemployment rate near 7.0%; 24.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 8.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Food services, Construction, and Education; about 8.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 6.6 points below 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 $375,000 — about 8% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,063 (about 9% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 62.4% (about 3.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98943 in South Cle Elum, WA, a household would need roughly $103,000 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 $2,409. That is about 71% above the local median household income ($60,268), 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 South Cle Elum town, WA as Relatively Moderate (composite score 89.1), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (99.7) and flood (74.8). 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 South Cle Elum town, WA show little to no average snow and around 24.7 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 38 for ZIP 98943 (South Cle Elum town, 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.