Why look at Centralia?
- Moderately priced housing. Median home is $397k.
- Stable market. Home values +2.1% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- No state income tax. Higher take-home pay than equivalent salary in a high-tax state.
Where Centralia stands
At or near all-time high. rents up 5.3% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 23.4 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Centralia. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Lewis County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Lewis County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Run the numbers for Centralia
Washington context
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Centralia listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Centralia area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Centralia
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Centralia’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Centralia →Cities similar to Centralia
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Washington: 293 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Getting here by train
Centralia is served by an Amtrak train station — Amtrak Centralia Station. Use the map to find it, and open its Google profile for photos, hours, and reviews.