Olympia, Washington Population 2024

55,731

Olympia is a city located in Thurston County Washington. Olympia has a 2024 population of 55,731. It is also the county seat of Thurston County. Olympia is currently growing at a rate of 0.06% annually and its population has increased by 0.22% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 55,607 in 2020.

The average household income in Olympia is $92,649 with a poverty rate of 13.28%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Olympia is 38.7 years, 35.3 years for males, and 42.4 years for females.

The State of Washington is the city’s top employer. It employs over 20,000 people. Local government is also a significant employer. Other top employers in Olympia include Providence St. Peter Hospital, tribal governments, and federal governments.

Olympia Population Growth

The city of Olympia has seen steady growth since it was founded, with the only exception occurring at the time of the 1900 census, when the population dropped by over 17%. However, the next year, the population had risen by over 81%. By 1930, the population had grown to over 10,000 residents. This number more than doubled by 1970. Current estimates show that the community has increased by over 10% since the last census taken in 2010, indicating that further growth is expected for this city.

The area that is now Olympia was initially inhabited by many native tribes, including the Puyallup, Chehalis, and Duwamish, to name a few. The Europeans first came to the area in 1792, although it was not settled at that time. It was in 1846 when Levi Smith and Edmund Sylvester laid claim to the land that is now Olympia’s downtown area. The city was named Olympia in 1850.

In 1851, the customs house for the Customs District of Puget Sound for Washington was established in the area. During this time, the population rose as immigrants came to the region. The Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Olympia during the 1870s, and because the residents knew the importance of a railroad, they created their rail connection.

Washington was designated as a state in 1889 and Olympia was selected to serve as the capital city. The city’s capitol building was constructed in 1912 and was completed in 1928. During this time, the economy revolved around logging, oystering, sawmilling and other industries. It was also a shipping port for agricultural goods, sandstone, and coal. The Olympia Brewing Company was also established in the late 19th century and operated through 2003.

World War I and World War II resulted in population increases for the city as more people came to Olympia to work in wartime industries such as shipbuilding. Though the city and its population continued to grow, it did encounter hard times, including an earthquake in 1949 that destroyed much of the downtown area.

Today, Olympia has established itself as a center for art and music. It is also a center for activism and social justice.

Olympia Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Olympia was:

  • White: 76.98%
  • Two or more races: 9.66%
  • Asian: 7.01%
  • Black or African American: 2.79%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 1.28%
  • Other race: 1.21%
  • Native American: 1.08%
Land Area (mi²)
18.2 sq mi
Density (mi²)
3,056.0/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
0.22% (124)
The current population of Olympia, Washington is 55,731 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 55,607.

Olympia, Washington Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White42,45676.98%
Two or more races5,3259.66%
Asian3,8647.01%
Black or African American1,5392.79%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander7041.28%
Other race6691.21%
Native American5941.08%

White

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Other race

Native American

Olympia Population by Race

Olympia Population Pyramid 2024

Olympia Median Age

38.7

Total

35.3

Male

42.4

Female

Olympia Adults

There are 44,621 adults, (10,576 of whom are seniors) in Olympia.

Olympia Age Dependency

62

Age Dependency Ratio

31.1

Old Age Dependency Ratio

30.9

Child Dependency Ratio

Olympia Sex Ratio

Female27,95650.69%
Male27,19549.31%

Olympia Population by Age

Olympia Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All24,5672.2148.351.7
Non Family11,8321.3533.366.7
Married8,983374.525.5
Female2,644331.168.9
Male1,1083.0535.764.3

2.87

Average Family Size

2.21

Average Household Size

48.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Olympia Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Olympia Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Olympia Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 51.47%.

Olympia Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$51,943

Average Earnings

$59,134

Average Male

$45,910

Average Female

Olympia Earnings by Educational Attainment

Olympia Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Olympia Language

86.2% of Olympia residents speak only English, while 13.8% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 6.51% of the population.

Olympia Language

Olympia Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White38,8634,64411.95%
Multiple5,2271,04219.93%
Hispanic6,13173812.04%
Asian3,85258615.21%
Black1,48129619.99%
Native59421736.53%
Islander7047310.37%
Other651263.99%

13.28%

Overall Poverty Rate

12.2%

Male Poverty Rate

14.33%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Olympia

The race most likely to be in poverty in Olympia is Native, with 36.53% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Olympia is Other, with 3.99% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.17%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.58%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 21.68%.

Olympia Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade34.37%
High School16.06%
Some College12.78%
Bachelors or Greater6.94%

Olympia Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed48.32%
Male Unemployed24.16%
Male Employed7.49%
Female Employed5.48%

Olympia Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Olympia Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Olympia Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

41.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

43.6%

Male Marriage Rate

39.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Olympia Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Olympia Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Olympia Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Olympia Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,703

Number of Veterans

3,173

Male Veterans

530

Female Veterans

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Olympia Veterans by War

count

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Olympia Veterans by Age

count

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Olympia Veterans by Race

Olympia Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.69%

Veteran Poverty Rate

27.32%

Veteran Disability Rate

Olympia Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

61.9%

Labor Force Participation

56.6%

Employment Rate

6.9%

Unemployment Rate

Olympia Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Olympia Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Olympia Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

43.34%

Born in Olympia

91.03%

Native Born

8.97%

Foreign Born

3.25%

Non Citizen

5.72%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

91.03% of Olympia residents were born in the United States, with 43.34% having been born in Washington. 3.25% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Olympia Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
202955,886310.06%
202855,855310.06%
202755,824310.06%
202655,793310.06%
202555,762310.06%
202455,731310.06%
202355,700310.06%
202255,669-281-0.5%
202155,9503430.62%
202055,6072,8735.45%
201952,7342840.54%
201852,4507791.51%
201751,6719041.78%
201650,7678681.74%
201549,8995281.07%
201449,3718631.78%
201348,5083890.81%
201248,1194000.84%
201147,7196361.35%
201047,08300%
200042,5148,67425.63%
199033,8406,39323.29%
198027,4474,15117.82%
197023,2965,02327.49%
196018,2732,45415.51%
195015,8192,56519.35%
194013,2541,52112.96%
193011,7333,93850.52%
19207,79579911.42%
19106,9963,13381.1%
19003,863-835-17.77%
18904,698-51,188-91.59%
showing: 32 rows

Olympia Population by Year