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CITY

Tumwater

Washington · 28,010 residents (2025 est.) · 17.7 sq mi
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The short version

Tumwater is home to 26,956 people in Washington. The population has more than doubled since 2000, adding 14,258 people. Few US cities rank higher on income. About 43% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Density works out to 1,519 people per square mile. The foreign-born share is 8%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.1
US median: 38.9
More educated
43% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 94%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
26,956
+112%since 2000
from 12,698 in 2000
28,010 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,519 / sq mi
+73%since 2009
from 880 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.1
+2%since 2000
from 36.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
17.7 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
8K13K18K24K29K19902000201020202024Tumwater
202427K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.1%(1,388)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.4%(1,738)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146%(1,612)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.8%(1,284)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(1,717)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.9%(4,558)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.6%(3,929)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.9%(3,464)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.4%(3,062)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(2,527)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.5%(1,220)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(457)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$95,212
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,329 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$46,975
+87%since 2000
from $25,080 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
59.5%
+24.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
7.0%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.397
−1%since 2010
from 0.400 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services6%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade5.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration4.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade3.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$472,200
+94%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $133,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,779
+42%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $686 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
62.5%
+14.3 ptssince 2000
from 48.2% in 2000
37.5% rent
Vacancy rate
3.9%
−4.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.42 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
25.4%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 27.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.7%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 45.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.0
+15%since 2009
from 4.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
65
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic86.3%(10,954)
Black1.4%(173)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(518)
Asian3.8%(484)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66.5%(17,935)
Black4.6%(1,240)
Hispanic / Latino9.3%(2,503)
Asian7.3%(1,965)
Other12.3%(3,313)
Diversity Score
66
+88%since 2009
from 35 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.2%(1,128)
Puerto Rican1.5%(402)
Colombian0.7%(193)
Spaniard0.4%(118)
Salvadoran0.4%(116)
Honduran0.3%(79)
Venezuelan0.3%(72)
Chilean0.2%(61)
Guatemalan0.2%(54)
Cuban0.2%(48)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(19)
Panamanian0.1%(19)
Peruvian0.1%(17)
Asian origin
Filipino1.9%(514)
Vietnamese1.4%(383)
Korean0.8%(208)
Asian Indian0.7%(190)
Japanese0.7%(180)
Cambodian0.3%(90)
Chinese0.3%(87)
Nepalese0.2%(43)
Pakistani0.1%(33)
Taiwanese0.1%(19)
Hmong0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.3%(75)
Ancestry
German14.6%(3,930)
English13%(3,496)
Irish10.6%(2,864)
American4.8%(1,289)
Scottish4.7%(1,269)
Norwegian3%(800)
Italian2.8%(762)
Swedish2.6%(704)
French2%(543)
Dutch1.6%(426)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(286)
+ 32 more ancestry groups with data
British0.9%(246)
Welsh0.9%(243)
Polish0.8%(208)
Danish0.7%(197)
West Indian0.6%(159)
Finnish0.6%(152)
Haitian0.5%(123)
Russian0.4%(119)
Nigerian0.4%(117)
Czech0.4%(115)
Hungarian0.3%(77)
Portuguese0.2%(58)
Ukrainian0.2%(49)
Lithuanian0.2%(48)
Arab0.2%(46)
Belgian0.1%(38)
Canadian0.1%(33)
Austrian0.1%(32)
Croatian0.1%(29)
Ethiopian0.1%(29)
Swiss0.1%(29)
Iraqi0.1%(25)
Australian0.1%(23)
Greek0.1%(23)
Jamaican0.1%(20)
Armenian0%(13)
Iranian0%(13)
Syrian0%(9)
Slovak0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
42.9%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 33.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.8%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 92.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.0%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 12.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.3 min
+66%since 2000
from 12.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
59.6%
−15.0 ptssince 2009
from 74.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−8.7 ptssince 2009
from 16.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
27.7%
+25.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2011
from 5.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
67.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2011
from 67.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.4%
+4.6 ptssince 2020
from 75.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
22.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 22.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
49.3%
+10.2 ptssince 2009
from 39.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.0% in 2009
Female
52.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.0% in 2009
Foreign born
7.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
10.7%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.0%
+1.4 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.5%
−6.8 ptssince 2013
from 10.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.4%
+7.6 ptssince 2017
from 86.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.5%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 94.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.8%
+5.6 ptssince 2020
from 80.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
90.8%
−2.1 ptssince 2016
from 92.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 2.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.6%(3,543)
Married52.3%(5,519)
Widowed2.7%(286)
Divorced11.4%(1,199)
Women 15+
Never married29.1%(3,392)
Married47.2%(5,507)
Widowed7.2%(836)
Divorced16.6%(1,936)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.5%
−6.8 ptssince 2013
from 10.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
69.0%
+6.3 ptssince 2020
from 62.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
9.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 12.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.7%
+4.0 ptssince 2020
from 13.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
16.3%
−3.5 ptssince 2020
from 19.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 2.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
79.5%
+4.2 ptssince 2020
from 75.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
32.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 32.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)40.3%(904)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)37.8%(847)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era20.1%(451)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.2%(28)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(14)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,241 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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TUMWATER VS
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TUMWATER VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Tumwater, Washington?

Tumwater, Washington has about 26,956 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Tumwater, Washington?

The typical household in Tumwater, Washington earns about $95,212 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Tumwater, Washington expensive?

In Tumwater, Washington, the median home is worth about $472,200, and the typical rent is about $1,779 a month.

How educated are people in Tumwater, Washington?

About 42.9% of adults age 25 and over in Tumwater, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Tumwater, Washington?

About 7.0% of people in Tumwater, Washington live below the federal poverty line.

Has Tumwater, Washington grown since 1990?

Yes, Tumwater, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 16,980 residents, a change of about 170 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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