98538 ZIP Code — Curtis, WA

Lewis County, Washington

ZIP code 98538 is located in Curtis, Washington, within Lewis County. It covers approximately 113.29 square miles and serves a population of 397 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Pacific (PT) timezone, served by area code 360/564.

About ZIP code 98538

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $358,800. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 69%.

The gap between median ($62,500) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. Poverty affects 19% of residents, above the national average. 54% 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 31 minutes is near the national average. Remote work is prevalent — 22% of workers work from home.

College attainment at 11% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Notable community characteristics include a notable veteran presence at 15% of civilians, above the national average of 7%; and disability rates above the national average at 27%.

Overall, ZIP code 98538 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a strong veteran community, a high rate of remote workers, and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

397

population

113.29

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Pacific (PT)

timezone

98538 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 98538

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 98538. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Curtis	Acceptable
Curtis	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

98572 Pe Ell (5.1 mi) 98593 Vader (7.5 mi) 98596 Winlock (10.7 mi) 98581 Ryderwood (10.7 mi) 98532 Chehalis (11.5 mi) 98532 Chehalis (11.5 mi) 98612 Cathlamet (18.1 mi) 98611 Castle Rock (18.2 mi) 98591 Toledo (18.4 mi) 98647 Skamokawa (18.5 mi) 98531 Centralia (19.3 mi) 98542 Ethel (19.5 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	397
Population density	4 / sq mi
State FIPS	53
County FIPS	041

Geography
Land area	113.29 sq mi
Water area	0.31 sq mi
Latitude	46.4837
Longitude	-123.1280
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	44.4%	46.0%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	30.1%	32.8%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	24.1%	18.5%	27.1%
Over $200k	1.5%	2.7%	10.6%

Demographics & statistics

397

Population

People per sq mi

51.3

Median age

$62,500

Median household income

$46,018

Per capita income

$358,800

Median home value

$1,234

Median monthly rent

68.9%

Home ownership

18.6%

Poverty rate

13.2%

Unemployment

145

Housing units

10.8%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

Under 5

5–9

10–14

15–19

20–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

55–59

60–64

65–74

75–84

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	55	13.9%
18 and over	342	86.1%
65 and over	130	32.7%
Median age	51.3 years

Race & ethnicity

White 77.4%

Two or more races 8.8%

Hispanic or Latino 8.5%

Other race 5.3%

Group	Count	%
White	336	77.4%
Two or more races	38	8.8%
Hispanic or Latino	37	8.5%
Other race	23	5.3%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	44.4%	46.0%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	30.1%	32.8%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	24.1%	18.5%	27.1%
Over $200k	1.5%	2.7%	10.6%

Under $10k 9.1%

$10k–$15k 0.6%

$15k–$25k 5.5%

$25k–$35k 8.5%

$35k–$50k 10.4%

$50k–$75k 23.2%

$75k–$100k 7.9%

$100k–$150k 23.8%

$150k–$200k 6.7%

$200k+ 4.3%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	9.1%
$10k–$15k	0.6%
$15k–$25k	5.5%
$25k–$35k	8.5%
$35k–$50k	10.4%
$50k–$75k	23.2%
$75k–$100k	7.9%
$100k–$150k	23.8%
$150k–$200k	6.7%
$200k+	4.3%
Median income	$62,500

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 8.0%

$100k–$150k 5.3%

$150k–$200k 6.2%

$200k–$300k 9.7%

$300k–$500k 54.9%

$500k–$1M 12.4%

$1M+ 3.5%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$358,800
Median rent / month	$1,234
Owner occupied	68.9%
Renter occupied	31.1%
Vacant	16.3%
Single-family detached	87.8%
Large apartment buildings	0.0%
Mobile homes	12.2%
Median rooms	5.9
Avg household size (owned)	1.93

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	6.1%
2000–2009	13.8%
1990–1999	13.3%
1980–1989	6.6%
1970–1979	21.4%
1960–1969	4.1%
1950–1959	12.8%
1940–1949	5.1%
1939 or earlier	16.8%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.0%
1 bedroom	3.1%
2 bedrooms	25.0%
3 bedrooms	45.9%
4 bedrooms	24.5%
5+ bedrooms	1.5%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	4.3%
1 vehicle	22.0%
2 vehicles	29.9%
3 or more	43.9%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Electricity	56.7%
Propane / LP gas	2.4%
Wood	36.6%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	92	56.1%
Cohabiting couple	14	8.5%
Male householder, no spouse	22	13.4%
Female householder, no spouse	36	22.0%
Households with children under 18	45	27.4%
Households with seniors (65+)	93	56.7%
Average household size	2.42

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	25.1%	15.4%
Married	54.5%	62.7%
Separated	0.0%	0.0%
Widowed	5.2%	14.2%
Divorced	15.2%	7.7%

Education

Less than 9th grade 7.2%

Some HS, no diploma 13.4%

HS graduate 27.2%

Some college, no degree 34.1%

Associate's degree 7.2%

Bachelor's degree 8.5%

Graduate / professional 2.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	79.3%
Bachelor's or higher	10.8%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	7	13.0%
Kindergarten	0	0.0%
Elementary school	20	37.0%
High school	14	25.9%
College / grad school	13	24.1%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 20.8%

Arts, food & hospitality 19.2%

Retail trade 13.6%

Public administration 11.2%

Agriculture & mining 7.2%

Wholesale trade 7.2%

Construction 6.4%

Manufacturing 5.6%

Transportation & utilities 4.0%

Finance & real estate 2.4%

Other services 2.4%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	29.6%
Service	20.8%
Sales & office	20.0%
Natural resources & construction	14.4%
Production & transportation	15.2%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	68.0%
Government	26.4%
Self-employed	5.6%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	66.1%
Carpool	9.9%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	1.7%
Work from home	22.3%
Other means	0.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	31.4

Poverty

All people 18.6%

Under 18 years 27.3%

18 and over 17.3%

Married-couple families 14.1%

Female-led households 84.6%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	53.7%
Retirement income	52.4%
Supplemental Security	5.5%
Cash public assistance	1.2%
Food stamps / SNAP	11.6%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	32.7%
High blood pressure	33.8%
High cholesterol	37.1%
Diabetes	10.4%
Heart disease	7.9%
Stroke	3.6%
Asthma	10.7%
Arthritis	30.4%
Kidney disease	3.4%
Pulmonary disease	7.9%
Cancer	8.0%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	16.9%
Binge drinking	16.8%
No physical activity	20.5%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	31.1%
Depression	25.6%
Fair or poor health	15.4%
Poor mental health	15.2%
Poor physical health	12.1%
No health insurance	10.8%
Visited doctor (checkup)	68.3%
Visited dentist	62.9%
Cholesterol screening	88.6%
Teeth loss	14.2%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	49	14.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	26.9%
Under 18	3.6%
18–64 years	20.6%
65 and over	46.9%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	48.0%
Public insurance	67.8%
No insurance	10.4%
Uninsured under 19	0.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	379	95.5%
Spanish	7	1.8%
Other Indo-European	7	1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	381	96.0%
Born in same state	381	96.0%
Born in different state	229	57.7%
Foreign born	0	0.0%
Naturalized citizen	16	4.0%
Not a US citizen	1	6.3%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	56	14.1%
Arab	48	12.1%
Italian	33	8.3%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	14	3.5%
English	10	2.5%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	41.3%
Internet access	76.8%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 98538

What city is ZIP code 98538 in?

ZIP code 98538 is primarily assigned to Curtis, Washington.

What county is ZIP code 98538 in?

ZIP code 98538 falls within Lewis County, Washington.

Does ZIP code 98538 have an older population?

33% of residents in ZIP code 98538 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 98538 have a large retiree population?

54% of households in ZIP code 98538 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 98538?

11% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 98538?

19% of residents in ZIP code 98538 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

What timezone is ZIP code 98538 in?

ZIP code 98538 observes the PST timezone.