One in three Thurston County households spends 30% or more of its income on housing, and American Indian/Alaska Native residents are twice as likely to live in poverty as the county population overall, according to the county's newly published health equity report.
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services released the "Journey to Health Equity: Health Disparities within Thurston County 2026 Report" on July 8. The annual report, overseen by department director Dr. Jennifer Freiheit, was produced under the county's Racial Equity Program, which the five-member Board of County Commissioners established in 2021.
Why this report exists
The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously in March 2021 to declare racism a crisis in Thurston County under Resolution No. 15995. The Board of Health simultaneously proclaimed racism a public health crisis. Commissioner Carolina Mejia called that vote "the beginning of a long road to improve the lives of Black, indigenous, and people of color."
The commissioners later created the Council on Racial Equity and Inclusion in December 2021 and adopted a five-year Homeless Housing Plan in December 2025 that acknowledged county resources are outpaced by need. The health equity report is the data backbone for those efforts.
Housing and income
The report cites Thurston Regional Planning Council data for 2020–2024 showing nearly 38,000 households are cost-burdened, with about 17,000 of those severely burdened, meaning they spend more than half their income on rent or mortgage payments.
The county's median household income is $88,895, according to the report's baseline data drawn from 2018–2022 American Community Survey estimates. A family of two working adults and two children needs $91,707 a year to cover basic living costs in Thurston County. Thirty-one percent of households fall below that threshold.
American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic residents have the lowest median household incomes among all racial and ethnic groups tracked.
Poverty and childhood
Nine percent of the overall population lives in poverty. For children under 18, the rate is 11%. American Indian/Alaska Native children are three times as likely to experience poverty as their peers countywide.
Half of all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Thurston County were 24 or younger when they first became homeless, according to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count cited in the report.
Birth outcomes and life expectancy
Average life expectancy in Thurston County was 78 years as of 2022; the report documents significant variation by census tract and income level but specific racial breakdowns were not available in the county's press release.
Black mothers in Thurston County are almost twice as likely as white mothers to deliver a baby prematurely or at low birth weight, based on 2018–2022 birth certificate data from the Washington Department of Health.
Education gaps
Asian students have the highest on-time high school graduation rates in the county. American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic students graduate on time at lower rates, per 2022–2023 data from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
What's next
No public hearing or vote tied to the 2026 report has been scheduled. The report breaks down disparities across the county's roughly 300,500 residents, about half of whom live in and around Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey. Residents can download the full report and a one-page summary at thurstoncountywa.gov/health-equity. Questions can be directed to Public Information Supervisor Renae Miller at (360) 463-0362.
