One in nine children in Thurston County lives in poverty, and American Indian and Alaska Native kids face that hardship at three times the rate of their peers, according to an updated county health equity report released in July.
The "Journey to Health Equity: Health Disparities within Thurston County" report, produced by Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, puts the child poverty rate at 11% for residents under 18.
For Olympia and Tumwater families, the county's two largest cities, the numbers reflect conditions in their own neighborhoods and schools. The overall poverty rate across all ages stands at 10%, with American Indian and Alaska Native residents countywide twice as likely to experience poverty as other groups.
The department announced the report July 9 and has since shared data snapshots on its @ThurstonHealth social media account.
The disparities extend beyond income. The American Indian and Alaska Native uninsured rate in Thurston County is 21%, triple the county's overall 7% uninsured rate. Hispanic and Latino residents face a 16% uninsured rate; Asian and Pacific Islander residents, 9%.
Separately, the county's companion 2025 Community Health Assessment found that Native residents are 2.5 times more likely to experience high psychological distress, which the department attributes to historical trauma.
Food, housing and schools
The Community Health Assessment, which gathered input from more than 1,800 residents at 12 local events between August and November 2025, ranked affordable housing and homelessness as the top community health priority.
The numbers back that up. A 2026 point-in-time count found 1,058 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Thurston County. Half are chronically homeless. About 1,636 students lacked a stable home during the 2024-2025 school year. Nearly one in four renters spend half or more of their income on housing.
Food insecurity touches one in eight county residents. In local public schools, 43% of children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Who oversees the report
The health equity report falls under the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners' Racial Equity Program. The Board of Health that advises on public health policy includes tribal representatives from the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Squaxin Island Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, alongside county commissioners Carolina Mejia, Emily Clouse and Wayne Fournier.
Dr. Jen Freiheit directs Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, the department that produced the report.
The department described the report as providing critical insights into disparities affecting the health and well-being of county residents.
What's next
No specific Board of County Commissioners agenda item or vote tied to the report's findings has been scheduled. The full report is available at thurstoncountywa.gov/health-equity. Residents can attend Board of Health work sessions to weigh in on how the data shapes local policy.
