What it's like to live in Centralia
Centralia is a small city in Washington with rent below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a growing population, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Centralia deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Clean air
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Centralia compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Centralia
Based on Centralia's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,168
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $43,360 a year
- 55% of Centralia renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$63,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,820
- Homes cost 5.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 23% below US
$1,084/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,084 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $318,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $318,200 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lewis County is 5.6%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lewis County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 13% below US
286 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2454/100k · Centralia Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 76°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 46% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (59 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Centralia's strongest points are rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,084/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Centralia
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