PlainZIP

Rainier, WA · standard

ZIP Code 98576

Thurston County, Washington - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

4,667
26/sq mi
$104,896
Median income
$446,900
Median home value
23.4%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Rainier pairs an upper-quartile household income with upper-quartile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 16%
household income, US ZIPs
Top 17%
home value, US ZIPs
26
people per sq mi
88%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 98576 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 98576 covers 183.0 square miles in Rainier, Thurston County, Washington (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 4,667 residents on file, a density of 26 people per square mile, in the Los Angeles time zone.

ZIP 98576 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $104,896 (15% above the Washington average), while per-capita income is $36,377. Local economic indicators show a 10.4% poverty rate alongside 5.2% unemployment. On housing, the median home value is $446,900 (13% below the state average) with median rent at $1,564 per month, and 87.9% of occupied units are owner-occupied.

Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 23.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 39, and the average commute is 38 minutes. Beyond these figures, 3 nearby ZIP codes within about 10 miles are surfaced below, along with 6 more sharing Thurston County, letting you compare 98576 to its immediate surroundings rather than a national baseline alone.

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 →

Top industries in ZIP 98576

Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Rainier, WA

Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 98576.

establishments

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

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 98576, Rainier, 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

4,667

Population

183.0

Area (sq mi)

26

People / sq mi

Los Angeles

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 98576?

39.0

Median Age

45.3%

Male

54.7%

Female

3.5%

Foreign-Born

White 85.3%
African American 0.1%
Asian 0.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%

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?

$104,896

Median Household Income

+15% vs state

$36,377

Per Capita Income

10.4%

Poverty Rate

5.2%

Unemployment Rate

37.9 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 98576 ranks nationally

Rainier, WA household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$104,896 Top 16% higher than 84% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). This entry sits in this band. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US 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?

High School Graduate or Higher 58.7%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 23.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

1,821

Total Housing Units

1,676

Occupied Units

145

Vacant Units

2.97

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 87.9%
Renter 12.1%

$446,900

Median Home Value

-13% vs state

$1,564

Median Rent

1994

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How have home values changed over time?

FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals

+2.8%

YoY Change (2024)

321

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+221%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 98576 have increased 2.8% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +221% cumulative appreciation.

Year Annual Change HPI Index
2020 +8.0% 225
2021 +15.9% 260
2022 +24.8% 325
2023 -4.0% 312
2024 +2.8% 321

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 82 business establishments in ZIP 98576, employing approximately 340 people with a combined annual payroll of $14,920,000.

82

Businesses

340

Employees

$14.9M

Annual Payroll

11

Industry Sectors

Industry Establishments % of Total
Construction 26 31.7%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 10 12.2%
Other services (except public administration) 8 9.8%
Retail trade 6 7.3%
Health care and social assistance 6 7.3%
Wholesale trade 5 6.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 3 3.7%
Manufacturing 3 3.7%
Transportation and warehousing 3 3.7%
Real estate and rental and leasing 3 3.7%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 3 3.7%

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 98576 vs 98597 →

ZIP 98576 vs its nearest neighbors, by population

Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 98576 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 98576 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

median income

What this shows By household income, ZIP 98576 ranks #2 of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
98597 Yelm, WA 21,557 6.8 mi
98558 Mckenna, WA 192 7.6 mi
98513 Olympia, WA 31,975 11.1 mi

More ZIP Codes in Thurston County

98501 standard
Olympia, WA
Pop: 38,133
98503 standard
Lacey, WA
Pop: 36,611
98513 standard
Olympia, WA
Pop: 31,975
98502 standard
Olympia, WA
Pop: 30,491
98512 standard
Olympia, WA
Pop: 28,130
98597 standard
Yelm, WA
Pop: 21,557

Related Areas

Thurston County Rainier, WA Washington

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 98576 in? ▼
ZIP code 98576 (Rainier) is located in Thurston County, Washington. Thurston County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/thurston-wa.
What is the population of ZIP code 98576? ▼
ZIP code 98576 in Rainier, WA has a population of 4,667 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 98576? ▼
The median household income in ZIP 98576 is $104,896, which is 38% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 98576? ▼
The median home value in ZIP 98576 is $446,900, which is 61% above the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 98576? ▼
The largest racial group in ZIP 98576 is White at 85.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 8.9% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 98576? ▼
ZIP code 98576 has 82 business establishments employing approximately 340 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 98576? ▼
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 98576 are: Construction (26), Professional, scientific, and technical services (10), Other services (except public administration) (8). There are 11 industry sectors represented in total.
How have home values changed in ZIP code 98576? ▼
According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 98576 increased by 2.8% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 221%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
What is the education level in ZIP code 98576? ▼
In ZIP code 98576, 58.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 23.4% 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 98576? ▼
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 98576 is 37.9 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 98576? ▼
In ZIP code 98576, approximately 87.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 98576? ▼
The poverty rate in ZIP code 98576 is 10.4% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.