Centralia, WA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Centralia () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Chehalis, located to the south near the confluence of the Chehalis and Newaukum rivers.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Centralia ranks

All →

#26Lowest property tax in WA #29Most affordable in WA #29Cheapest rent in WA All WA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code98531

Area code360

Living in Centralia

Housing in Centralia

$392K≈ same as a year ago Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Centralia home is worth about $392,000, about the same as a year ago, 34% below the Washington typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market20

Sale-to-list101.8%

Sold in May18

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Centralia

C⁻

Safety Grade C-

Centralia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Centralia 2.9

Washington 2.9

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Centralia 24.2

Washington 20.2

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Centralia

C

Health Grade C

Healthier than 33% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 59% of towns with similar incomes.

Compared with Washington

19worse than WA

of 26 measures CDC estimates. The other 7 are too close to call.

Conditions 9▼ 3 close Habits 3▼ 1 close Care 4▼ 3 close Mind 3▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

14.2%More older adults who have lost all their teethWA 9% · worse 7.7%More adults with COPDWA 5.1% · worse 15%More smokersWA 10.1% · worse

Care nearby

Providence Centralia HospitalCentralia · 1 mi · ER

Valley View Health Center Centralia Pediatric DentalCentralia · 0.1 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Centralia · CMS · HRSAHealth in Centralia →

Schools in Centralia

All Centralia schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Centralia’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 60% of Washington’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

DistrictCentralia School DistrictSchools9

Fords Prairie ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 443 students Jefferson Lincoln ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 357 students Oakview Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–6 · 317 students Edison ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 313 students Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades K–6 · 294 students Centralia Middle SchoolMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 479 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within WA. Ratings are from neighbors.