A family of four in Thurston County needs to earn $132,221 a year to cover basic living costs. The median household income is $96,563.

That $35,658 gap is the central finding of an updated county health report released in July 2026.

The Journey to Health Equity: Health Disparities within Thurston County report, published by Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS), reports a 2024 median household income well below what the county's own data says a two-adult, two-child household requires.

PHSS said on X on Saturday, Sept. 12, that it had recently updated the report.

The median income figure represents a jump from the $88,895 listed in the previous edition, published in 2025. But the updated number still leaves a typical family tens of thousands of dollars short.

Hardship rates high in Olympia, Tumwater

The 2025 edition found that 31% of Thurston County households faced financial hardship. In Olympia, that figure was 41%. In Tumwater, it was 35%. Whether those percentages changed in the 2026 update has not been confirmed.

Separate data from the Thurston Regional Planning Council shows the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater area's cost of living ran 14.4% above the national average of 272 urban areas surveyed, based on third-quarter 2025 figures.

Racial income gaps

The Chronicle reported on the 2025 edition's racial breakdowns. Residents identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native had a median household income of $62,292. Hispanic residents earned a median of $77,920. Both were the lowest among racial and ethnic groups the county tracked.

American Indian and Alaska Native residents were twice as likely to experience poverty compared to the overall county population. Eleven percent of county residents under 18 lived in poverty.

Whether those racial breakdowns shifted in the 2026 update is not yet clear. Detailed tables beyond the income snapshot have not been independently reviewed.

What's behind the report

The report is part of the county's racial equity program, launched after commissioners declared racism a crisis in March 2021. The county's health equity page notes that 50% of health outcomes are shaped by socioeconomic and physical environment factors such as income, education, housing and access to healthcare.

The full report is available at thurstoncountywa.gov/health-equity. No public presentation date before the Board of County Commissioners has been announced.