Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grand Mound is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 189th among Washington's 285 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 55% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $411K, 4.3 years of the Olympia metro’s $97K median household income. Only 39 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on the outdoors. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Grand Mound’s midsummer high is 78°F, against 77°F in Washington’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
Where Grand Mound beats most towns.
2,981 counted in 2010 and 3,301 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Grand Mound is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1851, comes before those of 94% of the Washington towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,394 in 1990, 3,301 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
Grand Mound is unincorporated, so Thurston County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Grand Mound.
Grand Mound has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Olympia and other neighbors.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Grand Mound, 53% come from inland flooding and 44% from earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 78°, cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 33.9°.
For Grand Mound, the January low is 34°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Grand Mound has about as many jobs (1,345) as working residents, but only 83 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 909 in 2013 to 1,345.
The top destinations are Olympia (15%), Tumwater (8%) and Centralia (7%). Commuting out is the norm in Grand Mound: 6% of working residents work locally. Also worth knowing: jobs based in Grand Mound grew to 1,345 in 2023, 436 more than in 2013. Half the trips to work are shorter than 18 miles.
| Grand Mound | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two figures for adults in Grand Mound: 30% have been diagnosed with depression, 20% report frequent mental distress. Among adults here, 67% had a checkup this year.
| Grand Mound | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grand Mound | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 14% | 10.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.2% | 9% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.8% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Grand Mound’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,426 a month. The share of households in Grand Mound who live in a home they own: 74%.
| Grand Mound | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,426 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Mound. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Stadium & arenaCheney Stadium36 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park
34 mi MuseumFort Steilacoom
25 mi AttractionGospodor Monument Park
13 mi MuseumOlympic Flight Museum6 mi City parkGeorge Washington ParkCheney Stadium: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Steilacoom: Ben Cody, Public domain · Gospodor Monument Park: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olympic Flight Museum: Articseahorse, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Mound
About 2 of every 100 Grand Mound residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Unincorporated community in Washington, United States
Grand Mound is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Goodell, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The population was 3,301 at the 2020 census. This area uses the 98579 and 98531 zip codes, which also includes Rochester and Gate.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Grand Mound.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Mound | #189 | C | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Rochester | #209 | C− | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Fords Prairie | — | — | C | — | C− | D |
Fords Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Grand Mound, Rochester and Fords Prairie report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grand Mound with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grand Mound grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #189 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $411,000, 30% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
