98597 ZIP Code — Yelm, WA

Thurston County, Washington

ZIP code 98597 is located in Yelm, Washington, within Thurston County. It covers approximately 111.02 square miles and serves a population of 25,982 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Pacific (PT) timezone, served by area code 360/564.

About ZIP code 98597

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 2000s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $377,100. Owner-occupancy is high at 81%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $88,965. The poverty rate of 7% is below the national average.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. An above-average commute of 39 minutes suggests many residents work outside the immediate area.

College attainment at 21% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Notable community characteristics include a notable veteran presence at 19% of civilians, above the national average of 7%.

Overall, ZIP code 98597 reflects a community defined by a strong veteran community and high homeownership.

25,982

population

111.02

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Pacific (PT)

timezone

98597 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 98597

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 98597. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Yelm	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

98580 Roy (6.1 mi) 98576 Rainier (7.6 mi) 98328 Eatonville (12.4 mi) 98338 Graham (13.3 mi) 98433 Tacoma (13.7 mi) 98387 Spanaway (13.7 mi) 98513 Olympia (14.5 mi) 98589 Tenino (16.2 mi) 98327 Dupont (17.3 mi) 98430 Camp Murray (17.6 mi) 98375 Puyallup (17.6 mi) 98439 Lakewood (17.9 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	25,982
Population density	234 / sq mi
State FIPS	53
County FIPS	067

Geography
Land area	111.02 sq mi
Water area	3.78 sq mi
Latitude	46.8713
Longitude	-122.4832
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	32.1%	31.8%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	38.0%	33.6%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	25.9%	28.3%	27.1%
Over $200k	4.0%	6.3%	10.6%

Demographics & statistics

25,982

Population

234

People per sq mi

35.9

Median age

$88,965

Median household income

$37,541

Per capita income

$377,100

Median home value

$1,408

Median monthly rent

80.6%

Home ownership

6.8%

Poverty rate

5.2%

Unemployment

8,160

Housing units

20.6%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

736

Under 5

701

852

5–9

810

987

10–14

940

851

15–19

810

996

20–24

948

1,971

25–34

1,875

1,840

35–44

1,751

1,862

45–54

1,772

891

55–59

847

683

60–64

649

1,106

65–74

1,052

431

75–84

411

108

85+

102

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	6,208	23.9%
18 and over	19,774	76.1%
65 and over	3,210	12.4%
Median age	35.9 years

Race & ethnicity

White 78.2%

Two or more races 8.6%

Hispanic or Latino 3.9%

Black or African American 2.4%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%

Other race 2.2%

Asian 1.7%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%

Group	Count	%
White	21,139	78.2%
Two or more races	2,329	8.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,062	3.9%
Black or African American	653	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	609	2.3%
Other race	602	2.2%
Asian	449	1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	201	0.7%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	32.1%	31.8%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	38.0%	33.6%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	25.9%	28.3%	27.1%
Over $200k	4.0%	6.3%	10.6%

Under $10k 4.4%

$10k–$15k 1.0%

$15k–$25k 3.5%

$25k–$35k 3.2%

$35k–$50k 8.8%

$50k–$75k 17.8%

$75k–$100k 17.4%

$100k–$150k 23.8%

$150k–$200k 14.1%

$200k+ 5.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.4%
$10k–$15k	1.0%
$15k–$25k	3.5%
$25k–$35k	3.2%
$35k–$50k	8.8%
$50k–$75k	17.8%
$75k–$100k	17.4%
$100k–$150k	23.8%
$150k–$200k	14.1%
$200k+	5.9%
Median income	$88,965

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 4.0%

$50k–$100k 3.6%

$100k–$150k 2.1%

$150k–$200k 5.5%

$200k–$300k 16.0%

$300k–$500k 44.8%

$500k–$1M 21.8%

$1M+ 2.1%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$377,100
Median rent / month	$1,408
Owner occupied	80.6%
Renter occupied	19.4%
Vacant	6.7%
Single-family detached	76.2%
Large apartment buildings	2.3%
Mobile homes	15.8%
Median rooms	5.9
Avg household size (owned)	2.78

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.1%
2010–2019	13.1%
2000–2009	31.4%
1990–1999	21.3%
1980–1989	13.1%
1970–1979	11.1%
1960–1969	3.0%
1950–1959	1.8%
1940–1949	1.1%
1939 or earlier	4.0%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.2%
1 bedroom	5.3%
2 bedrooms	14.2%
3 bedrooms	50.3%
4 bedrooms	22.2%
5+ bedrooms	3.7%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	3.2%
1 vehicle	17.4%
2 vehicles	39.7%
3 or more	39.8%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	15.0%
Electricity	68.8%
Propane / LP gas	6.1%
Fuel oil	0.2%
Wood	9.3%
No fuel used	0.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	5,178	55.7%
Cohabiting couple	808	8.7%
Male householder, no spouse	1,615	17.4%
Female householder, no spouse	1,699	18.3%
Households with children under 18	3,252	35.0%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,528	27.2%
Average household size	2.79

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	34.8%	25.2%
Married	53.1%	54.3%
Separated	0.8%	0.7%
Widowed	2.5%	5.4%
Divorced	8.7%	14.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 1.8%

Some HS, no diploma 7.4%

HS graduate 29.1%

Some college, no degree 29.4%

Associate's degree 11.7%

Bachelor's degree 14.3%

Graduate / professional 6.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	90.8%
Bachelor's or higher	20.6%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	182	2.8%
Kindergarten	338	5.1%
Elementary school	2,837	42.9%
High school	1,492	22.5%
College / grad school	1,768	26.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 16.3%

Retail trade 14.4%

Arts, food & hospitality 13.3%

Public administration 13.2%

Construction 11.7%

Manufacturing 6.5%

Professional & management 6.1%

Transportation & utilities 5.6%

Finance & real estate 4.6%

Other services 3.8%

Agriculture & mining 2.1%

Wholesale trade 1.7%

Information 0.7%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	33.3%
Service	18.1%
Sales & office	17.7%
Natural resources & construction	12.2%
Production & transportation	18.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	69.5%
Government	24.5%
Self-employed	6.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	80.2%
Carpool	10.5%
Public transit	0.3%
Walk	1.8%
Work from home	6.0%
Other means	1.2%
Avg commute (minutes)	38.5

Poverty

All people 6.8%

Under 18 years 5.2%

18 and over 7.3%

Married-couple families 3.7%

Female-led households 15.7%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	27.3%
Retirement income	28.0%
Supplemental Security	3.3%
Cash public assistance	1.9%
Food stamps / SNAP	9.4%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	32.6%
High blood pressure	29.5%
High cholesterol	30.4%
Diabetes	8.5%
Heart disease	5.3%
Stroke	2.6%
Asthma	10.7%
Arthritis	24.2%
Kidney disease	2.6%
Pulmonary disease	6.2%
Cancer	6.0%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	17.9%
Binge drinking	18.4%
No physical activity	18.0%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.2%
Depression	30.2%
Fair or poor health	13.6%
Poor mental health	17.3%
Poor physical health	10.6%
No health insurance	11.0%
Visited doctor (checkup)	68.1%
Visited dentist	63.2%
Cholesterol screening	86.6%
Teeth loss	12.3%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	3,636	19.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	13.1%
Under 18	2.2%
18–64 years	12.8%
65 and over	35.5%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	74.6%
Public insurance	34.4%
No insurance	7.2%
Uninsured under 19	2.1%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	24,545	94.5%
Spanish	657	2.7%
Other Indo-European	324	1.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	72	0.3%
Other languages	261	1.1%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	24,437	94.1%
Born in same state	23,635	91.0%
Born in different state	10,842	41.7%
Foreign born	802	3.1%
Naturalized citizen	1,545	5.9%
Not a US citizen	617	39.9%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	3,394	13.1%
French	1,680	6.5%
Arab	1,510	5.8%
Polish	988	3.8%
English	306	1.2%

Ancestry	Count	%
Dutch	235	0.9%
German	127	0.5%
Norwegian	65	0.3%
Irish	13	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	35.8%
Internet access	96.2%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 98597

What city is ZIP code 98597 in?

ZIP code 98597 is primarily assigned to Yelm, Washington.

What county is ZIP code 98597 in?

ZIP code 98597 falls within Thurston County, Washington.

Does ZIP code 98597 have a large veteran population?

19% of civilians in ZIP code 98597 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

Is ZIP code 98597 mostly owner-occupied?

81% of occupied units in ZIP code 98597 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 98597?

The median home value in ZIP code 98597 is $377,100.

What is the population of ZIP code 98597?

ZIP code 98597 has an estimated population of 25,982 residents, with a density of 234 people per square mile.

What timezone is ZIP code 98597 in?

ZIP code 98597 observes the PST timezone.