Centralia, WA

Census Place

2024 Population

18,830

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

3.17% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

19.6%

1.44% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$56,219

7.31% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$318,200

Population & Diversity

Centralia, WA is home to a population of 18.8k people, from which 93.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.81% of Centralia, WA residents were born outside of the country (1.85k people).

In 2024, there were 8.98 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.6k people) in Centralia, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.52k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 1.06k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.8%

2024 Citizenship

94%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.8% of Centralia, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Centralia, WA was 94%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Centralia, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Centralia, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.6k ± 660
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.52k ± 493
Other (Hispanic)
1.06k ± 477

19.7%

Hispanic Population

3.7k people

19.7% of the people in Centralia, WA are hispanic (3.7k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Centralia, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

9.81%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.85k people

8.72%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.61k people

As of 2024, 9.81% of Centralia, WA residents (1.85k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Centralia, WA was 8.72%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Centralia, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
368 ± 121
Gulf War (2001-)
273 ± 104
Korea
130 ± 95

Centralia, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.35 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Centralia, WA.

Economy

The economy of Centralia, WA employs 8.25k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Centralia, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,298 people), Retail Trade (1,203 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,003 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($82,232), Finance & Insurance ($80,438), and Public Administration ($69,205).

Employment

Occupations

8.25k

2024 Value

± 760

6.23%

1 Year growth

± 12.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Centralia, WA grew at a rate of 6.23%, from 7.77k employees to 8.25k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Centralia, WA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (983 people), Management Occupations (733 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (697 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Centralia, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

8.25k

2024 Value

± 760

6.23%

1 Year growth

± 12.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Centralia, WA grew at a rate of 6.23%, from 7.77k employees to 8.25k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Centralia, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,298 people), Retail Trade (1,203 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,003 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Centralia, WA, though some of these residents may live in Centralia, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,970

Median earning men ± $4,386

$41,237

Median earning women ± $4,711

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($100,179), Public Administration ($85,331), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($60,852).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,036), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,750), and Public Administration ($63,977).

Education

The student population of Centralia, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 893 male students and 1,441 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Centralia, WA are White (442 and 58.9%), Hispanic or Latino (126 and 16.8%), Two or More Races (66 and 8.79%), and Unknown (43 and 5.73%).

The largest universities in Centralia, WA by number of degrees awarded are Centralia College (719 and 95.5%) and Centralia Beauty College (34 and 4.52%).

The most popular majors in Centralia, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (251 and 33.3%), Building Construction Technology (79 and 10.5%), and Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (59 and 7.84%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,772 for in-state students and $5,157 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,334 students enrolled in Centralia, WA, 38.3% men and 61.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,354 records, of which 62.8% were women and 37.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
251 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
24 degrees awarded
Medical Assistant
16 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Centralia, WA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 251 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Centralia, WA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Centralia College
719 degrees awarded
Centralia Beauty College
34 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Centralia College with 719 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 342 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Centralia, WA, which is 0.832 times less than the 411 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 442 degrees mean that there were 3.51 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 126 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($4,772) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($494) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($762) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Centralia, WA was $318,200 in 2024, which is 0.956 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $267,600 to $318,200, a 18.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Centralia, WA is 60%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Centralia, WA have an average commute time of 25.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Centralia, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$318,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,153

$4,740

Median Property Taxes

±$524

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Centralia, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Centralia, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60%

Homeownership

2024

61.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60% of the housing units in Centralia, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 58.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Centralia, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$56,219

Median Household Income

± $12,919

7.89k

Number of Households

± 690

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.89k households in Centralia, WA grew to $56,219 from the previous year's value of $52,387.

The following chart displays the households in Centralia, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Centralia, WA is from Washington.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.3%)
Carpooled (14.6%)
Worked At Home (7.18%)

In 2024, 73.3% of workers in Centralia, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.6%) and those who worked at home (7.18%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

25.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Centralia, WA have a shorter commute time (25.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.64% of the workforce in Centralia, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Centralia, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Centralia, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Centralia, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Centralia, WA (3.62k out of 18.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Centralia, WA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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