La CenterWA
A town of 4,433, settled in 1877.
Is La Center a good place to live?
La Center grades C− overall, 211th of 285 graded towns in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $102K and 3% of its land is conserved. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $658K for a typical one and 6.8 times the Portland metro’s $97K median household income. La Center’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. Among 137 Washington towns, just 9 have a lower property crime rate than La Center.
La Center has grown 58% since 2010
2,800 counted in 2010 and 3,424 in 2020; an estimated 4,433 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 29.4% since 2020, after 22.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How La Center grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far La Center is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mount St. Helens and 160 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Center. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MountainMount St. Helens
23 mi Stadium & arenaModa Center
33 mi WaterfallMultnomah Falls
23 mi Stadium & arenaProvidence Park
39 mi LakeSpirit Lake
22 mi GardenForest ParkPhoto credits
Mount St. Helens: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain · Moda Center: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Multnomah Falls: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Providence Park: Pdx.rollingthunder, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Spirit Lake: Matt Logan, Public domain · Forest Park: EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to La Center: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Center, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in La Center.
Conserved land covers 3.2% of La Center
3.2 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sternwheeler Park, at 23 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Holley Park | 0.7 mi | 12 |
| 2. Sternwheeler Park | 0.6 mi | 23 |
| 3. Heritage Park | 0.5 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
La Center’s public schools trail 57% of Washington districts
Its public schools are run by the La Center School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is La Center High School, with 555 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Center ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 789 | – |
| La Center High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 555 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of La Center’s workers commute out
At 32 minutes, La Center’s average trip to work is where Washington’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 5.7% of La Center residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Vancouver (23%), Portland (10%) and Woodland (6%).
| La Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
La Center faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, La Center is healthier than 71% of U.S. towns
Within Washington it is less healthy than 58% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
La Center beats the Washington average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 69% of adults had a checkup this year in La Center.
| La Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | La Center | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.3% | 7.2% |
| More adults with obesity | 35.3% | 30.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
La Center has mild winters and pleasant summers
La Center has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in La Center is 80°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
An age mix much like Washington’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Washington average. La Center has grown 29% since 2020, to 4,433 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| La Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.2 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| La Center | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.6% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 34.1% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
Crime reported in La Center
La Center's reported crime rate is well below Washington's. La Center’s violent crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
La Center earns a D for cost of living
The typical La Center home is worth about $658,000, up 0.8% in a year, 12% above the Washington typical home.
| La Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,876 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about La Center
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of La Center; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 La Center residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
97% of working residents leave La Center for work
Where La Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About La Center
City in Clark County, Washington
La Center is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,424 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 105 ft
- ZIP code
- 98629
- Area code
- 360
Questions about La Center
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is La Center, WA a good place to live?
La Center grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #211 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is La Center, WA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.