98531 ZIP Code — Centralia, WA

Lewis County, Washington

ZIP code 98531 is located in Centralia, Washington, within Lewis County. It covers approximately 129.16 square miles and serves a population of 26,931 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Pacific (PT) timezone, served by area code 360/564.

About ZIP code 98531

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $263,900. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 63%.

Median household income is $57,961. Poverty affects 18% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 25% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 45% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 26 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 20% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Overall, ZIP code 98531 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

26,931

population

129.16

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Pacific (PT)

timezone

98531 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 98531

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 98531. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Centralia	Acceptable
Centralia	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

98532 Chehalis (8.5 mi) 98532 Chehalis (8.5 mi) 98579 Rochester (9.3 mi) 98589 Tenino (10.4 mi) 98512 Olympia (14.3 mi) 98501 Olympia (17 mi) 98576 Rainier (17.5 mi) 98570 Onalaska (17.6 mi) 98596 Winlock (17.9 mi) 98568 Oakville (18.1 mi) 98542 Ethel (19.1 mi) 98538 Curtis (19.3 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	26,931
Population density	209 / sq mi
State FIPS	53
County FIPS	041

Geography
Land area	129.16 sq mi
Water area	1.48 sq mi
Latitude	46.7436
Longitude	-122.9793
Timezone	Pacific (PT)
Area code	360/564

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	53.6%	46.0%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	30.2%	32.8%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	13.7%	18.5%	27.1%
Over $200k	2.5%	2.7%	10.6%

Demographics & statistics

26,931

Population

209

People per sq mi

39.2

Median age

$57,961

Median household income

$29,894

Per capita income

$263,900

Median home value

$1,038

Median monthly rent

62.6%

Home ownership

18.1%

Poverty rate

5.5%

Unemployment

7,224

Housing units

19.9%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

815

Under 5

878

776

5–9

836

797

10–14

858

740

15–19

796

741

20–24

797

1,989

25–34

2,140

1,437

35–44

1,547

1,301

45–54

1,401

959

55–59

1,033

858

60–64

923

1,586

65–74

1,708

659

75–84

710

311

85+

335

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	5,903	21.9%
18 and over	21,028	78.1%
65 and over	5,309	19.7%
Median age	39.2 years

Race & ethnicity

White 73.7%

Hispanic or Latino 9.4%

Two or more races 9.3%

Other race 5%

Asian 1.2%

Black or African American 0.7%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Group	Count	%
White	21,920	73.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2,796	9.4%
Two or more races	2,774	9.3%
Other race	1,491	5%
Asian	348	1.2%
Black or African American	219	0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	121	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	58	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	53.6%	46.0%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	30.2%	32.8%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	13.7%	18.5%	27.1%
Over $200k	2.5%	2.7%	10.6%

Under $10k 4.9%

$10k–$15k 5.9%

$15k–$25k 10.7%

$25k–$35k 10.5%

$35k–$50k 11.5%

$50k–$75k 17.1%

$75k–$100k 14.6%

$100k–$150k 15.5%

$150k–$200k 5.3%

$200k+ 4.0%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.9%
$10k–$15k	5.9%
$15k–$25k	10.7%
$25k–$35k	10.5%
$35k–$50k	11.5%
$50k–$75k	17.1%
$75k–$100k	14.6%
$100k–$150k	15.5%
$150k–$200k	5.3%
$200k+	4.0%
Median income	$57,961

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 5.6%

$50k–$100k 7.0%

$100k–$150k 6.2%

$150k–$200k 15.0%

$200k–$300k 26.9%

$300k–$500k 28.1%

$500k–$1M 9.9%

$1M+ 1.4%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$263,900
Median rent / month	$1,038
Owner occupied	62.6%
Renter occupied	37.4%
Vacant	5.3%
Single-family detached	59.1%
Large apartment buildings	8.9%
Mobile homes	14.0%
Median rooms	5.4
Avg household size (owned)	2.50

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.2%
2010–2019	4.7%
2000–2009	11.7%
1990–1999	17.1%
1980–1989	10.8%
1970–1979	18.1%
1960–1969	6.8%
1950–1959	5.1%
1940–1949	5.1%
1939 or earlier	20.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.4%
1 bedroom	10.5%
2 bedrooms	32.3%
3 bedrooms	42.2%
4 bedrooms	9.8%
5+ bedrooms	2.8%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.8%
1 vehicle	33.6%
2 vehicles	29.6%
3 or more	31.0%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	15.4%
Electricity	79.0%
Propane / LP gas	1.0%
Wood	4.4%
No fuel used	0.1%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,965	37.4%
Cohabiting couple	1,203	11.4%
Male householder, no spouse	2,031	19.2%
Female householder, no spouse	3,389	32.0%
Households with children under 18	2,955	27.9%
Households with seniors (65+)	4,033	38.1%
Average household size	2.50

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	36.6%	25.1%
Married	41.5%	38.5%
Separated	1.5%	2.0%
Widowed	2.5%	12.1%
Divorced	17.9%	22.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.7%

Some HS, no diploma 8.4%

HS graduate 30.4%

Some college, no degree 25.5%

Associate's degree 11.1%

Bachelor's degree 13.0%

Graduate / professional 6.9%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	86.9%
Bachelor's or higher	19.9%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	445	7.5%
Kindergarten	313	5.3%
Elementary school	2,713	45.8%
High school	1,129	19.1%
College / grad school	1,322	22.3%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 22.6%

Retail trade 14.1%

Arts, food & hospitality 12.8%

Construction 9.7%

Manufacturing 7.1%

Professional & management 7.1%

Public administration 6.1%

Transportation & utilities 6.0%

Agriculture & mining 3.9%

Finance & real estate 3.9%

Other services 3.0%

Wholesale trade 1.8%

Information 1.8%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	29.6%
Service	21.5%
Sales & office	20.8%
Natural resources & construction	14.7%
Production & transportation	13.4%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	75.7%
Government	16.5%
Self-employed	7.7%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	73.7%
Carpool	15.1%
Public transit	1.4%
Walk	2.7%
Work from home	5.0%
Other means	2.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	25.5

Poverty

All people 18.1%

Under 18 years 21.0%

18 and over 17.3%

Married-couple families 6.2%

Female-led households 37.5%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	45.3%
Retirement income	27.5%
Supplemental Security	9.9%
Cash public assistance	7.5%
Food stamps / SNAP	24.7%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	33.2%
High blood pressure	32.0%
High cholesterol	34.1%
Diabetes	10.2%
Heart disease	7.4%
Stroke	3.6%
Asthma	11.1%
Arthritis	28.4%
Kidney disease	3.3%
Pulmonary disease	7.9%
Cancer	7.1%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	18.0%
Binge drinking	16.9%
No physical activity	22.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	32.1%
Depression	26.8%
Fair or poor health	17.0%
Poor mental health	16.6%
Poor physical health	12.5%
No health insurance	14.3%
Visited doctor (checkup)	66.9%
Visited dentist	58.5%
Cholesterol screening	85.4%
Teeth loss	15.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,650	7.9%

Disability	%
Any disability	20.0%
Under 18	4.8%
18–64 years	18.9%
65 and over	40.9%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	57.5%
Public insurance	51.5%
No insurance	8.0%
Uninsured under 19	1.4%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	25,238	93.7%
Spanish	1,288	5.1%
Other Indo-European	1,138	4.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander	11	0.0%
Other languages	139	0.6%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	24,957	92.7%
Born in same state	24,730	91.8%
Born in different state	16,043	59.6%
Foreign born	227	0.8%
Naturalized citizen	1,974	7.3%
Not a US citizen	622	31.5%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	3,172	11.8%
French	2,801	10.4%
Arab	1,674	6.2%
Polish	929	3.4%
English	546	2%

Ancestry	Count	%
Dutch	196	0.7%
German	151	0.6%
Irish	55	0.2%
Norwegian	26	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	39.3%
Internet access	93.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 98531

What city is ZIP code 98531 in?

ZIP code 98531 is primarily assigned to Centralia, Washington.

What county is ZIP code 98531 in?

ZIP code 98531 falls within Lewis County, Washington.

Does ZIP code 98531 have a large retiree population?

45% of households in ZIP code 98531 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 98531?

18% of residents in ZIP code 98531 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

What is the population of ZIP code 98531?

ZIP code 98531 has an estimated population of 26,931 residents, with a density of 209 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 98531?

The median household income in ZIP code 98531 is $57,961, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 98531 in?

ZIP code 98531 observes the PST timezone.