ZIP Code 98944 — Sunnyside city, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98944 covers Sunnyside, WA in Benton County with a population of about 24,048.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 28.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 509; U.S. House district WA-4; the YAKIMA - PASCO - RCHLND - KNNWCK media market.

Median household income in ZIP 98944 is about $60,167 — about 20% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 17.4%; unemployment rate near 9.1%; 9.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 24.6 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Agriculture, Healthcare, and Manufacturing; about 4.5% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 10.7 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 $230,100 — about 34% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $792 (about 32% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 63.1% (about 2.3 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98944 in Sunnyside, WA, a household would need roughly $63,000 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 $1,478. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($60,167). 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 Sunnyside city, WA as Relatively Moderate (composite score 87.1), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (96.7) and flood (89.7). 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 Sunnyside city, WA show little to no average snow and around 7.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,292 for ZIP 98944 (Sunnyside 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.