What city is 98531 in?

98531 is a Centralia, WA mailing address. By land area, 6% lies inside Centralia and 3% lies inside Fords Prairie; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 98531?

About 27,337 people (±1,071), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 26,669.

What is the median household income in 98531?

$63,406 (±$5,644), compared with $98,141 for Washington as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.

How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 98531?

17 USPS carrier routes with 10,851 residential and 821 business mailboxes (11,673 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 98531?

The closest, measured center to center: 98530 (4.8 mi, Bucoda), 98544 (5.9 mi), 98589 (8 mi, Tenino), 98532 (10.8 mi, Chehalis), 98579 (11.1 mi, Rochester) and 98565 (11.4 mi, Napavine).

98531 ZIP Code, Centralia, WA

Q: What county is 98531 in?

98531 is mostly in Lewis County (79% of its land), with smaller parts in Thurston County.

98531 is a ZIP code in Centralia, Washington — mostly in Lewis County (79% of its land), with smaller parts in Thurston County. It covers 129 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 98530, 98544 and 98589. 27,337 people live here in 11,123 households. With about 212 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (66% own). Median household income is $63,406, well below the Washington median of $98,141.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Centralia, WA
County: Lewis County
Land area: 129 sq mi
Population: 27,337
Median household income: $63,406
Carrier routes: 17 (10,851 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	27,337
Households	11,123
Median household income	$63,406
Income per person	$32,793
Median age	40.3
Homeowners	65.7%
Median home value	$343,000
Median rent	$1,130
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.1%
Average commute (minutes)	25.8
Households with kids under 18	28.0%
Moved in the past year	12.4%
Below the poverty line	16.6%
Broadband internet	90.5%
Speak a non-English language at home	16.3%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	6.8%
$10–15K	4.2%
$15–25K	7.7%
$25–35K	11.8%
$35–50K	12.0%
$50–75K	14.2%
$75–100K	13.2%
$100–150K	17.3%
$150–200K	8.5%
$200K+	4.3%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	11.7%
10–19	9.7%
20–24	6.2%
25–34	16.2%
35–44	11.6%
45–54	10.5%
55–64	13.5%
65–74	12.3%
75+	8.2%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	37.0%
Owned outright	27.1%
Rented	32.5%
Vacant	3.4%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	59.9%
Townhome	3.9%
2–4 units	9.3%
5–19 units	4.9%
20+ units	7.3%
Mobile / other	14.8%

Businesses in 98531

694 business establishments with 10,062 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Retail Trade: 116
Health Care and Social Assistance: 99
Accommodation and Food Services: 78
Construction: 77
Other Services (except Public Administration): 74
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 44
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 33
Finance and Insurance: 29

EDDM carrier routes

98531 has 17 USPS carrier routes with 10,851 residential and 821 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 98531

98531 has 17 USPS carrier routes (11 city (C), 6 rural (R)) with 10,851 residential and 821 business mailboxes. Routes range from 378 homes (R006) to 965 homes (C009); the median route has 609 homes. The Census counted 11,123 households in 98531 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	0
250–499	4
500–749	8
750–999	5
1,000–1,499	0
1,500+	0

Best routes in 98531 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 198, 445 homes
Route R003 — USPS business mailboxes 99, 469 homes
Route C007 — USPS business mailboxes 82, 910 homes
Route C011 — USPS business mailboxes 79, 533 homes
Route C005 — USPS business mailboxes 74, 691 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 98531

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
C001	City	445	198	$55,623	—	—	—
C002	City	609	12	$82,168	—	—	—
C003	City	520	24	$55,623	—	—	—
C005	City	691	74	$80,816	—	—	—
C006	City	520	4	$35,900	—	—	—
C007	City	910	82	$37,258	—	—	—
C008	City	814	12	$59,227	—	—	—
C009	City	965	51	$77,063	—	—	—
C010	City	601	46	$58,407	—	—	—
C011	City	533	79	$77,063	—	—	—
C012	City	625	32	$76,241	—	—	—
R001	Rural	697	2	$94,265	—	—	—
R002	Rural	499	2	$59,227	—	—	—
R003	Rural	469	99	$60,542	—	—	—
R004	Rural	807	50	$51,054	—	—	—
R005	Rural	768	39	$67,557	—	—	—
R006	Rural	378	15	$51,054	—	—	—

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 98531 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

98530 — Bucoda town, WA (4.8 mi)
98544 (5.9 mi)
98589 — Tenino city, WA (8 mi)
98532 — Chehalis city, WA (10.8 mi)
98579 — Rochester CDP, WA (11.1 mi)
98565 — Napavine city, WA (11.4 mi)
98576 — Rainier city, WA (14 mi)
98570 — Onalaska CDP, WA (14.2 mi)

Areas that include 98531

Centralia, WA ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Grand Mound, WA ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
Fords Prairie, WA ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Bucoda, WA ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
Lewis County ZIP codes — 22 ZIP codes
Thurston County ZIP codes — 15 ZIP codes
Washington ZIP code data

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 98531

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 98531, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 98531 in?: 98531 is a Centralia, WA mailing address. By land area, 6% lies inside Centralia and 3% lies inside Fords Prairie; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 98531 in?: 98531 is mostly in Lewis County (79% of its land), with smaller parts in Thurston County.
What is the population of 98531?: About 27,337 people (±1,071), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 26,669.
What is the median household income in 98531?: $63,406 (±$5,644), compared with $98,141 for Washington as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 98531?: 17 USPS carrier routes with 10,851 residential and 821 business mailboxes (11,673 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 98531?: The closest, measured center to center: 98530 (4.8 mi, Bucoda), 98544 (5.9 mi), 98589 (8 mi, Tenino), 98532 (10.8 mi, Chehalis), 98579 (11.1 mi, Rochester) and 98565 (11.4 mi, Napavine).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.