Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,764, settled in 1873.
Chehalis grades D overall, 264th among Washington's 285 graded towns, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it has 8 miles of trail. Chehalis’ trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On history, just 8 of Washington’s 397 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Chehalis beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,309 in 1890, 7,439 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Chehalis is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chehalis, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Chehalis.
Chehalis draws workers from Centralia and beyond, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Washington.
6,686 jobs are based in Chehalis, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Chehalis for work: only 17% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Chehalis, where Washington’s towns sit at 7.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Jobs based in Chehalis grew to 6,686 in 2023, 861 more than in 2013.
| Chehalis | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Chehalis School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is W F West High School, with 950 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chehalis Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 692 | – |
| W F West High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 950 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 447 to 253 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Chehalis’ property crime rate is 29.4 per 1,000 residents. Chehalis reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Chehalis’ violent crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Chehalis | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.4 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
7.6 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Stan Hedwall Park, at 128 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stan Hedwall Park | 0.4 mi | 128 |
| 2. Recreation Park | — | 14 |
| 3. John Dobson Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
477 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 61 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1981, 477 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chehalis.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 78.1°, cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 33.8°.
Chehalis has mild winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Chehalis is 78°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Chehalis | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Chehalis home is worth about $474,000, up 1.8% in a year, 19% below the Washington typical home. 53% of households own their home in Chehalis.
| Chehalis | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,102 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Washington it is less healthy than 81% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Chehalis beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 66% of Chehalis adults had a checkup this year.
| Chehalis | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Chehalis | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.7% | 9% |
| More smokers | 13.8% | 10.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.4% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chehalis. Close and well known come first.
40 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year37 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park
15 mi AttractionGospodor Monument Park
in town MuseumBurlington Northern Railroad Depotin town MuseumVeterans Memorial Museum4 mi GardenGeorge Washington ParkMount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Gospodor Monument Park: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Burlington Northern Railroad Depot: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chehalis
About 3 of every 100 Chehalis residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Chehalis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Chehalis on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Chehalis.
City in Washington, United States
Chehalis ( shə-HAY-liss) is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is located in the Chehalis valley and is split by Interstate 5 (I-5) and State Route 6. It is twinned with the bordering city of Centralia. The community of Newaukum and the city of Napavine lie directly south, with the community of Adna to the west. Due to the city's location on the Chehalis River, and the nearby confluences of the Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers, Chehalis has experienced several historic flooding events during its history. Incorporated in 1883, Chehalis was primarily a logging and railroad town, with a shi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Chehalis.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chehalis grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #264 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Ralph Towner and Olive McKean.
