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METRO AREA

Lacey Metro

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA · 1 counties · 304,261 residents (2025 est.) · 723 sq mi
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The short version

Lacey is a metro area of 299,067 people. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. Growth has run 44% since 2000, or 91,712 more people. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $480,300. 8% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. The median household earns $96,563, about 17% above the national median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.9
Average education
38% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 90%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
299,067
+44%since 2000
from 207,355 in 2000
304,261 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
414 / sq mi
+44%since 2000
from 287 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
40.0
+10%since 2000
from 36.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
723 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
147K189K230K272K313K19902000201020202024Lacey
2024299K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(15,827)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(17,624)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(18,229)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.6%(16,697)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.5%(16,506)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.3%(42,783)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.5%(43,407)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.9%(35,633)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.1%(36,289)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.4%(34,019)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(16,263)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(5,790)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$96,563
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,975 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$46,136
+106%since 2000
from $22,415 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
61.6%
+24.5 ptssince 2009
from 37.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.403
−1%since 2010
from 0.407 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade5.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$480,300
+90%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $138,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,736
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $655 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
67.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 66.6% in 2000
32.3% rent
Vacancy rate
5.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.48 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.51 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.6%
−6.8 ptssince 2009
from 30.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.9%
+5.0 ptssince 2009
from 47.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.0
+19%since 2009
from 4.2 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
72
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.4%(172,963)
Black2.3%(4,714)
Hispanic / Latino4.5%(9,392)
Asian4.4%(9,034)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic69.5%(207,943)
Black3.2%(9,445)
Hispanic / Latino10.6%(31,748)
Asian6%(18,056)
Other10.7%(31,875)
Diversity Score
61
+46%since 2009
from 42 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
18
−16%since 2020
from 21 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.2%(18,591)
Puerto Rican1.4%(4,220)
Central American0.9%(2,655)
Spaniard0.5%(1,600)
South American0.5%(1,485)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,123)
Guatemalan0.2%(640)
Colombian0.2%(612)
Cuban0.2%(581)
Panamanian0.1%(419)
Honduran0.1%(355)
Peruvian0.1%(203)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Bolivian0.1%(193)
Chilean0.1%(190)
Dominican0.1%(171)
Venezuelan0.1%(152)
Argentine0%(34)
Uruguayan0%(12)
Asian origin
Filipino1.6%(4,714)
Vietnamese1.3%(3,962)
Korean0.9%(2,838)
Chinese0.5%(1,529)
Asian Indian0.4%(1,078)
Cambodian0.4%(1,052)
Japanese0.3%(840)
Thai0.1%(252)
Burmese0.1%(241)
Nepalese0.1%(202)
Pakistani0.1%(179)
Laotian0.1%(174)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(137)
Okinawan0%(11)
Kazakh0%(8)
Hmong0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.6%(1,816)
Chamorro0.6%(1,677)
Samoan0.4%(1,190)
Guamanian0.1%(236)
Fijian0%(32)
Tongan0%(4)
Ancestry
German16.3%(48,884)
English13%(38,947)
Irish11.7%(34,942)
American3.9%(11,720)
Norwegian3.6%(10,811)
Italian3.3%(9,846)
Scottish3%(8,949)
Swedish2.7%(8,188)
French2.4%(7,042)
Polish1.7%(5,209)
Dutch1.6%(4,742)
Scotch-Irish1.3%(3,862)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.9%(2,836)
Welsh0.8%(2,542)
Finnish0.8%(2,473)
British0.8%(2,391)
French Canadian0.5%(1,498)
Russian0.5%(1,413)
West Indian0.4%(1,309)
Swiss0.3%(1,016)
Portuguese0.3%(1,006)
Arab0.3%(1,002)
Greek0.3%(869)
Czech0.3%(862)
Ukrainian0.3%(787)
Canadian0.2%(653)
Romanian0.2%(604)
Hungarian0.2%(546)
Austrian0.2%(520)
Haitian0.2%(514)
Australian0.2%(489)
Croatian0.1%(437)
Nigerian0.1%(363)
Slovak0.1%(316)
Belgian0.1%(265)
Jordanian0.1%(262)
Lithuanian0.1%(252)
Egyptian0.1%(236)
Turkish0.1%(229)
Brazilian0.1%(189)
Jamaican0.1%(189)
Iranian0.1%(167)
Lebanese0%(148)
Armenian0%(120)
Kenyan0%(93)
Latvian0%(91)
Slovene0%(77)
Moroccan0%(72)
Iraqi0%(61)
Ethiopian0%(47)
Guyanese0%(35)
Serbian0%(35)
Syrian0%(13)
Israeli0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
38.5%
+8.7 ptssince 2000
from 29.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.7%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 89.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.9%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 11.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.8 min
+56%since 2000
from 16.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
66.9%
−10.4 ptssince 2009
from 77.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.5%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
20.5%
+16.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.2%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 7.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2011
from 65.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 73.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
21.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 21.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
46.0%
+6.0 ptssince 2009
from 40.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Female
50.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Foreign born
8.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
12.6%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 16.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.1%
+3.8 ptssince 2012
from 12.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.0%
−6.7 ptssince 2013
from 11.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.5%
+9.5 ptssince 2017
from 85.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.4%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 94.7% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.4%
+4.1 ptssince 2020
from 81.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
88.2%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 88.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 4.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.9%(39,611)
Married55.3%(66,488)
Widowed2.4%(2,867)
Divorced9.4%(11,296)
Women 15+
Never married25.7%(32,679)
Married51.8%(65,852)
Widowed7.7%(9,793)
Divorced14.8%(18,801)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.0%
−6.7 ptssince 2013
from 11.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
59.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 58.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 12.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 19.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
5.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 4.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
75.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 75.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.7%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 36.9% 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%(11,649)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)32.1%(9,301)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.9%(8,058)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.7%(784)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(106)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 28,932 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
In this metro

Largest cities

LaceyCENTRAL58,833OlympiaCENTRAL56,724TumwaterCENTRAL28,010Yelm12,043Tanglewilde6,314Rochester5,834Grand Mound3,287North Yelm2,522Rainier2,495Tenino1,941Bucoda630Nisqually Indian Community628
What's inside

1 component county

Thurston CountyCENTRAL304,261
Drill deeper

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LACEY VS
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LACEY VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA has about 299,067 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?

The typical household in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA earns about $96,563 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA expensive?

In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA, the median home is worth about $480,300, and the typical rent is about $1,736 a month.

How educated are people in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?

About 38.5% of adults age 25 and over in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?

About 9.5% of people in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA grown since 1990?

Yes, Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 137,829 residents, a change of about 85 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →