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Mineral, Washington (2020-10-24) 02
Washington›Lewis County

MineralWA

Today 7 people live in this town, first settled in 1892.

Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Mineral

Mineral, WA · Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Mineral a good place to live?

71% of residents live below the poverty line in Mineral, where Washington’s towns sit at 7.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Mineral Log Lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mineral has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

7 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Mineral Log Lodge
Mineral Log Lodge · National Register of Historic Places
Mineral’s story

134 years in pictures

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1892Mineral is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Mount St. Helens and 29 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mineral. Close and well known come first.

All 57 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Mount St. Helens: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain · Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Spirit Lake: Matt Logan, Public domain · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: Lyn Topinka, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Mineral: who provides what

Mineral is unincorporated, so Lewis County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPUD No 1 of Lewis County10.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers42% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLewis CountyLewis County provides services here
SchoolsMorton School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereLewis County AuditorLewis County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2024
ZIP code9835598355 100%Census 2020

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 Mineral.

Natural hazards

Natural hazards: very high risk in Mineral, mostly inland flooding

Households in Mineral have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 88% of U.S. communities.

88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
88Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingAvalanchesEarthquakes
4
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

With only 0.2 jobs per working resident, most people in Mineral work out of town

The top destinations are Chehalis (13%), Tacoma (11%) and Centralia (6%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 38 miles.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Mineral0%
Chehalis13%
Tacoma11%
Centralia6%
Morton5%
38 mi
median commute distance
15
jobs based in Mineral
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Mild winters and pleasant summers: that is Mineral’s year

July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 32° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.

3″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter32–44°
Spring37–57°
Summer49–74°
Fall40–58°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

A larger share of adults have high blood pressure in Mineral than in most of Washington or the rest of the country

72% of Mineral adults had a checkup this year. Among 286 Washington towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Mineral. The town beats the Washington average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15.

MineralWashington townsU.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)42%31%35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%13%14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)14%9.8%12%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)14%17%16%
31 measures vs. Washington
5 better11 too close to call15 worse
What stands outMineralWA
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity7%9.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity8%10.2%
More adults with COPD9.3%5.1%
Arbor Health Morton Hospital
12.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Conservation land takes up 1.6% of Mineral

Parks and preserves in Mineral: one, of 2 acres.

1.6%conserved
1.6%
conserved · 7 of 424 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Mineral Lake Access Area—2

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Mineral

15pages on Mineral
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Mineral; the nearest are

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Mineral for work

Where Mineral’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

13% → Chehalis Chehalis 13% 11% → Tacoma Tacoma 11% 6% → Centralia Centralia 6% 5% → Morton Morton 5% 5% → Olympia Olympia 5% 5% → Seattle Seattle 5% Mineral · 0% stay
15jobs based in Mineral
0%of working residents work in town
38 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Mineral

Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Official town website ↗

Mineral is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington, on State Route 7 near the Pierce/Lewis county line. As of the 2020 census, Mineral had a population of 193. Mineral originally began as a logging camp and mining town. Prospectors searching the area for gold instead found coal and arsenic. By the early 1920s, the mines closed and a devastating fire to the town's largest sawmill ended the early, peak years of the community. Mineral began to turn to tourism as its main industry, primarily through recreational fishing on Mineral Lake. A local attraction is the Mineral Log Lodge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.7 sq mi
Elevation
1,470 ft
ZIP code
98355
Area code
360

Questions about Mineral

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Mineral, WA a good place to live?

Mineral has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.