A typical Yelm home is worth about $483,000
Up 0.5% in a year, 18% below the Washington typical home. Homes typically sell in 20 days, close to asking.
What kind of housing town is Yelm?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
187 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 187 new homes in Yelm in 2025: 85 single-family houses and 102 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $47.7 million to build. That's 17 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Washington (4.6). Over the past 10 years, Yelm has permitted 802 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Yelm gained 3,769 residents while 877 new homes were permitted: about 4.3 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Washington: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 103 | 103 | 0 | $40.9 million |
| 2025 | 187 | 85 | 102 | $47.7 million |
| 2024 | 105 | 97 | 8 | $38 million |
| 2023 | 148 | 140 | 8 | $53.7 million |
| 2022 | 79 | 64 | 15 | $29.9 million |
| 2021 | 38 | 20 | 18 | $8.7 million |
| 2020 | 21 | 11 | 10 | $4.9 million |
| 2019 | 44 | 40 | 4 | $11.8 million |
| 2018 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $14 million |
| 2017 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $16 million |
| 2016 | 82 | 82 | 0 | $22.7 million |
| 2015 | 136 | 61 | 75 | $25.3 million |
| 2014 | 61 | 45 | 16 | $13.8 million |
| 2013 | 210 | 120 | 90 | $42.2 million |
| 2012 | 154 | 114 | 40 | $6.7 million |
| 2011 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $12.1 million |
| 2010 | 49 | 49 | 0 | $10.9 million |
| 2009 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $16.7 million |
| 2008 | 184 | 134 | 50 | $30.9 million |
| 2007 | 174 | 166 | 8 | $32.3 million |
| 2006 | 171 | 171 | 0 | $31.2 million |
| 2005 | 221 | 221 | 0 | $35.6 million |
| 2004 | 65 | 63 | 2 | $7.1 million |
| 2003 | 146 | 94 | 52 | $15.5 million |
| 2002 | 136 | 104 | 32 | $12.1 million |
| 2001 | 103 | 101 | 2 | $10.1 million |
| 2000 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $5.9 million |
How Yelm ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
A typical home costs 5.3 years of income
Less than across Washington (6 years). Try your own numbers below.
That’s $122K short of a typical Yelm home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month here, $990 less than owning.
How Yelm ranks on affordability →
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Yelm’s typical property tax (0.76% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
1 of Yelm’s houses are on the National Register
Half of Yelm’s homes were built before 2004.
Washington: 64% own.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024. Historic houses: National Register of Historic Places.
Up 10.2% in five years
About the same pace as Washington (11.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Yelm | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $236,000 | $326,000 |
| 2018 | $261,000 | $362,000 |
| 2019 | $292,000 | $390,000 |
| 2020 | $320,000 | $413,000 |
| 2021 | $385,000 | $471,000 |
| 2022 | $456,000 | $554,000 |
| 2023 | $460,000 | $572,000 |
| 2024 | $469,000 | $582,000 |
| 2025 | $488,000 | $605,000 |
| 2026 | $489,000 | $601,000 |
| August 2026 | $483,000 | $592,000 |
A typical Yelm home worth $225K in September 2016 is worth about $483K today.
How Yelm ranks on rising home prices →
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through August 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.5 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850
Renters already here pay a median of $1,626, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Yelm vs. its neighbors
The towns that share a border with Yelm. Tap one to see its housing page.
Compare more
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yelm | $483K | +0.5% | $1,850 | 187 | $90,750 |
| North Yelm | $385K* | +6.4%† | $1,890 | — | $73,725 |
Typical value: Zillow Home Value Index; * Census median home value where Zillow has none. † FHFA price index change where Zillow has none. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. New homes: Census building permits.
On the market in Yelm
Listed in the past 60 days. Each opens on the listing site.
Neighbors talk housing
What Yelm buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Historic houses: National Register of Historic Places. Listings link to their publishers. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer.