Curtis, WA · standard
ZIP Code 98538
Lewis County, Washington - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 304
- 1/sq mi Low-density area
- $105,000
- Median income Above-median income area
- $482,100
- Median home value Above-median home value
- 9.0%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Curtis pairs an upper-quartile household income with upper-quartile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 16%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 14%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 1
- people per sq mi
- 85%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 98538 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 98538 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Curtis, Lewis County, Washington, home to just 304 residents across 276.4 square miles, a density of 1 people per square mile, in the Los Angeles time zone.
ZIP 98538 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $105,000 (16% above the average Washington ZIP), while per-capita income is $56,343. The poverty rate is 10.2%, with unemployment at 2.3%; those measures add context to the income figure. Median home value is $482,100 (6% below the average Washington ZIP); 84.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 9.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 41.2, and the average commute is 22 minutes. The page also surfaces 2 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Lewis County, so 98538 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 98538, Curtis, WA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
304
Population
276.4
Area (sq mi)
1
People / sq mi
Los Angeles
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 98538?
41.2
Median Age
59.8%
Male
40.2%
Female
0.9%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$105,000
Median Household Income
+16% vs state ZIP avg
$56,343
Per Capita Income
10.2%
Poverty Rate
2.3%
Unemployment Rate
22.2 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 98538 ranks among Washington ZIPs
Curtis, WA household income vs. every Washington ZIP code
Median household income among 547 reporting Washington ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$105,000 Top 25% higher than 75% of 547 Washington ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Washington ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
187housing units
187
Total Housing Units
166
Occupied Units
21
Vacant Units
2.77
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$482,100
Median Home Value
-6% vs state ZIP avg
1959
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 4 business establishments in ZIP 98538, employing approximately 20 people with a combined annual payroll of $1,530,000.
4
Businesses
20
Employees
$1.5M
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 98538 vs 98581 →
ZIP 98538 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 98593
Vader (98593)
1,113 residents
- 98581 424
Ryderwood (98581)
424 residents
- 98538 304
Curtis (98538)
304 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 98538 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 98538 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 98538
Curtis (98538)
$105,000 median income
- 98593
Vader (98593)
$84,244 median income
- 98581
Ryderwood (98581)
$43,009 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 98538 ranks the highest of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 98538, both outside WA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Lewis County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 98538 in?
ZIP code 98538 (Curtis) is located in Lewis County, Washington. Lewis County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/lewis-wa.
What is the population of ZIP code 98538?
ZIP code 98538 in Curtis, WA has a population of 304 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 98538?
The median household income in ZIP 98538 is $105,000, which is 38% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 98538?
The median home value in ZIP 98538 is $482,100, which is 73% above the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 98538?
The largest racial group in ZIP 98538 is White at 85.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 0.7% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 98538?
ZIP code 98538 has 4 business establishments employing approximately 20 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 98538?
In ZIP code 98538, 45.1% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 9.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 98538?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 98538 is 22.2 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 98538?
In ZIP code 98538, approximately 84.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 15.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 98538?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 98538 is 10.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 98538's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 98538 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Curtis, WA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.