Census place 5380220

Yelm

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Yelm city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Yelm.

According to the 2025 estimate, Yelm has a population of 12,043 and 2,072 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 91 covered Washington places are: typical commute is 33.8 minutes, above the comparison median of 25.4 minutes; population density is 2,072/sq mi, below the comparison median of 2,972/sq mi; and median home value is $455,300, below the comparison median of $549,300. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

typical commute: 33.8 minutes
population density: 2,072/sq mi
median home value: $455,300

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Yelm's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 12,043
Annual change: +3.2%
Density: 2,072/sq mi
Median age: 31 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $90,750
Median home value: $455,300
Median gross rent: $1,626
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 27.4%
Typical commute: 33.8 min
Drive-alone commute: 71.7%
Public transit commute: 1%
Walked to work: 2.7%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 33.4%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 47%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 53.4%
Unemployed residents 16+: 2.1%
Working from home: 8.7%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 91.3%
Homes built 2020+: 3%
Households without a vehicle: 7.6%
Households with children: 44.9%
Residents with a disability: 16.6%
Residents without insurance: 5%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Thurston County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 14
Severe Storm declarations: 6
Flood declarations: 5
Coastal Storm declarations: 1

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: OLYMPIA AP (13 mi from place center)

Average high: 60.7°F
Average low: 40.4°F
Annual rainfall: 50.6"
Annual snowfall: 3.9"

Month by month

A year in Yelm.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Rathdrum, ID

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 13,227
Median home: $444,100

Hyrum, UT

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 11,132
Median home: $422,600

Fortuna, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 12,003
Median home: $379,700

Keep exploring

Compare Yelm with Rathdrum →