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Retire To Olympia, WA
City Report

Olympia, Washington is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics.


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Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides a birds-eye view of the city.

Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Olympia in that certain data category. Check back often for home price updates.


Olympia, Washington
Olympic National Park near Olympia, Washington
© iStockPhoto.com/Tashka

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Olympia, Washington


Population
. 1990 2000 2007
Thurston County blank 207,355 blank
Olympia 33,840 42,514 44,925



Olympia
Home Sales Prices
(new & existing homes)
. Average Annual Average Yr-Over-Yr Change
2010 .$250,579-7.0%
Jun $257,795 . .
May $238,823 . .
Apr $262,746 . .
Mar $250,638 . .
Feb $248,856 . .
Jan $236,989 . .
2009 .$269,483-7.9%
2008 .$292,6503.9%
2007 . $281,708 5.8%
2006 . $266,349 21.8%
2005 . $218,748 16.7%
 Local Home Resources Resources:
     






Cost of Living (2010)
114% GPTR 99 City Average
127%



Home Sales Price Comparison
(2010)
. . GPTR 99 City Avg
Near Large City Seattle na
Home Sales Price in Seattle $303,000 $213,000
Home Sales Price Bargain Index 83% of Seattle home prices 155%



Olympia
Distance to Nearest Large City
(pop. > 200,000)
60 miles  to Seattle GPTR 99 City Average
97 miles



Air Quality
. Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days Unhealthy Days
2008 267 33 3 0
2007 314 43 3 0
2006 323 41 1 0
2005 314 50 1 0




Olympia
Water Quality
. % Good % Threatened % Impaired
2006 na na na
2004 na na na
2002 na na na




Taxes
(2009-2010)
blank Tax Rate Days Worked to Pay State Rank Tax Rate
(99 City Avg)
Days Worked to Pay
(99 City Avg)
State and Local Sales Tax 8.8% -- 3* 6.8% --
Federal, State and Local Tax -- 105 days 5* -- 99 days
* State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes



Olympia
Recreation
. # of Parks # of Parks
(99 City Avg)
National Parks, Historic Sites, etc.
(managed by National Park Service)
Mount Ranier National Park, Olympic National Park plus 3 more 7
National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc.
(other federal agency-managed sites)
29 26
State Parks, Sites, etc. 9 11



Crime Report
(crimes per 10,000 population)
. Total Crimes Violent Crimes Property Crimes
2008 518 33 485
2007 476 26 450
2006 512 33 479
2005 598 26 572




Olympia
Climate
(1971-2000)
. . 99 City Avg
January - Avg Low Temp 32 F 27 F
January - Avg Daily Temp 38 F 37 F
July - Avg Daily Temp 63 F 74 F
July - Avg High Temp 76 F 86 F
Avg Annual Precipitation 51 in 35 in



Elevation
206 feet GPTR 99 City Average
1,660 feet



Olympia
Natural Hazards
. Risk Level 99 City Average
Total Hazard Risk Higher Moderate
Earthquake 50% .6%
Tsunami No Risk No Risk
Hurricane 0 0
Flood Very High Very High
Tornado Very Low Low
Volcano High Ash Fall No Risk
Wildfire Low Low



Demographics
(2006)
. . 99 City Avg
White 85.3% 83.3%
Black 1.9% 6.9%
Native American 1.3% 0.8%
Asian 5.8% 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.2%
Other 1.7% 3.3%
Multiple Races 3.8% 2.4%
Hispanic (of any race) 4.4% 8.7%



Olympia
Median Age (2006)
36 years GPTR 99 City Average
36 years



Family Income & Housing
(2006)
. . 99 City Average
Total Housing Units 19,738 26,131
Occupied Housing Units 95% 86%
Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) 5% 14%
Home Ownership Rate 50% 54%
Median Family Income $54,136 $55,423
Average Family Size 2.88 2.91



Olympia
Medical Care
(2009)
Hospital/Medical Center City Distance from City Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO GPTR 99 City
Average
Providence St. Peter Hospital Olympia In the city Yes 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city
Capital Medical Center Olympia In the city Yes
Providence St. Peter Chemical Dependancy Lacey 6 miles Yes



Population Density
(2007)
. . 99 City Avg
Land Area (sq mi) 17 31
People Per Square Mile 2,643 2,035



Olympia
Building Permits
(single family homes)
2009 159
2008 55
2007 97
2006 229
2005 260




Heating and Cooling Degree Days
(avg annual)
. . 99 City Avg
Total Degree Days 5,628 5,926
HDD 5,531 4,677
CDD 97 1,249



EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(Olympia Area)
Olympia Area EPA Cleanup Sites


Legend:
Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites and 4)Brownfields Properties (EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)



Olympia Area Interactive Maps

(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out, change format, navigate or rotate. Click map and drag mouse
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)



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