33% of residents are 65 or older in Onalaska, against 16% in Washington’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Carlisle Lake Park, at 23 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Onalaska has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

South Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spanning South Fork Newkaukum River at State Route 508

Onalaska’s story

117 years in pictures

The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1943 on.

1909Onalaska is founded

Explore the history →

Small town

848 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns

Napavine · 9 mi Mossyrock · 11 mi Toledo · 11 mi Winlock · 12 mi Chehalis · 13 mi Centralia · 16 mi

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Onalaska.

Schools

The schools Onalaska’s kids attend

Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to the Onalaska School District. The 3 public schools in Onalaska teach 913 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Onalaska Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	437	–
Onalaska High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	281	–

Full pageOnalaska’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The districtsOnalaska School District Every school3 schools · Onalaska Elementary School Questions“Are Onalaska’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazards

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

88risk score of 100

Expected losses in Onalaska break down as 51% from inland flooding and 29% from avalanches. The town’s risk rating from FEMA stands at 88 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Onalaska after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2009.

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingAvalanchesEarthquakes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageOnalaska’s hazards pageOpen the full Hazards page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Onalaska Get ready0.3 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

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

Climate

Onalaska has mild winters and pleasant summers

3″snow a winter

Expect July afternoons of 77° and January nights of 34°, with about 3 inches of snow a winter.

Typical low → high °F

Winter33–46°

Spring39–60°

Summer50–75°

Fall42–61°

Oct 27

typical first frost

Apr 22

typical last frost

+0.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageOnalaska’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

A year of weatherJuly highs 77°, January lows 34°Rain & snow3″ of snow a winter · 60 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

Most people working in Onalaska commute elsewhere

3%work in town

In Onalaska, just over one in ten residents live below the poverty line. Only 3% of working residents stay in Onalaska for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Onalaska has added 29 jobs, to 228 in 2023. The top destinations are Chehalis (9%), Centralia (7%) and Olympia (6%).

	Onalaska	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Below the poverty line	12%	7.9%	9.6%
Working residents who work in town	3.2%	4.9%	8%
Work from home	11%	15%	11%

Where working residents work

In Onalaska3%

Chehalis9%

Centralia7%

Olympia6%

Tacoma6%

33 mi

median commute distance

228

jobs based in Onalaska

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageOnalaska’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

The jobs here228 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work3% work in Onalaska Commute timesCommute times How far they goHalf commute less than 33 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Housing

The typical home in Onalaska is valued at about $502K

$502KZillow home value

Values rose 2.3% in the 12 months to September 2026. 57% of households own their home in Onalaska.

Typical home value

Onalaska$502K

Washington$588K

+2.3%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in September

Full pageOnalaska’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the full Housing & cost-of-living page

Prices over the yearsUp 2.3% in a year Years of income to buyYears of income to buy Rents$844 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Health

How healthy Onalaska is

The share of adults in Onalaska who have obesity: 39%. Of 31 CDC measures, Onalaska beats the Washington average on 1 and trails it on 16.

	Onalaska	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	69%	71%	79%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	39%	33%	35%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	38%	31%	35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	13%	9.8%	12%

31 measures vs. Washington

1 better14 too close to call16 worse

What stands out	Onalaska	WA
More adults treating high blood pressure	75.6%	70.7%
More adults with COPD	7.9%	5.1%

Providence Centralia Hospital

16 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageOnalaska’s health reportOpen the full Health report

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby16 miles to an ER · Providence Centralia Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than WA on 1 of 31

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

Outdoors

Onalaska keeps 0.6% of its land conserved

0.6%conserved

Trails run 1.6 miles in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Onalaska is 1.0 miles per square mile.

	Onalaska	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	1.0 miles per square mile	0.8	0.4
Conserved land	0.6%	4%	4.3%

0.6%

conserved · 6 of 1,019 acres

1.6 mi

of trails · 1 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Carlisle Lake Park	1.1 mi	23
2. Carlisle Park	—	8

Full pageOnalaska’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Trail map1.6 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk1.1 miles of trail · Carlisle Lake Park Conserved land0.6% conserved · 6 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Onalaska?”

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Onalaska

17pages on Onalaska

The big questions

Schools3 schools HealthBetter than WA on 1 of 31 CDC measures Cost of living$502K typical home · up 2.3% in a year Work & commute228 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors2 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesAttractions42 nearby · Gospodor Monument Park 12 mi LibrarySalkum Timberland Library Colleges

The story

HistoryFounded 1909 Climate78° summer highs · 3″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 98570 Town SquareNeighbors

Nearby attractions

Mount St. Helens and 17 more within 40 miles

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

All 42 attractions →

Big draw36 mi MountainMount St. Helens

30 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year

35 mi LakeSpirit Lake

35 mi Park & preserveMount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

39 mi Canyon & gorgeApe Canyon 31 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park

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 · Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: Lyn Topinka, Public domain · Ape Canyon: Caroline, CC BY 2.0

Getting set up

Moving to Onalaska: who provides what

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

PowerPUD No 1 of Lewis County10.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterLewis Co Water Dist #2No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet3 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesLewis CountyLewis County provides services here

SchoolsOnalaska 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 codes98570, 9853298570 95% · 98532 5%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Onalaska; the nearest are

Centralia CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Centralia15.1 mi$5,266 in-state tuition Clatsop Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Astoria, OR59.6 mi$5,110 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Onalaska residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Onalaska

Census-designated place in the United States

Onalaska is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 657. Onalaska is located along Washington State Route 508.

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

Area: 1.6 sq mi
Elevation: 515 ft
ZIP code: 98570
Area code: 360

Questions about Onalaska

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Onalaska, WA a good place to live?

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

Onalaska is in here

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