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Thorp
Washington›Kittitas County

ThorpWA

The National Register of Historic Places lists 2 places here.

Thorp Mill · Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Thorp

Thorp, WA · Thorp Mill · Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0

Is Thorp a good place to live?

Thorp’s typical journey to work is 18 minutes, below both Washington’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 286 Washington towns, just 6 have a lower January low than Thorp. Its National Register listings include Thorp Mill and Thorp Grade School. Thorp has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Thorp stand out

Where Thorp beats most towns.

Small town

230 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns
Thorp Mill
Thorp Mill · National Register of Historic Places
Thorp’s story

158 years in pictures

Census counts: 273 in 2000, 232 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and a map from 1958 on.

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1868Thorp is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Thorp: who provides what

Thorp is unincorporated, so Kittitas County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers60% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKittitas CountyKittitas County provides services here
SchoolsThorp 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 hereKittitas County AuditorKittitas County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code9894698946 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 Thorp.

Natural hazards

The FEMA risk score in Thorp is higher than in the typical Washington or U.S. town

60% of Thorp’s expected losses from natural hazards come from avalanches, followed by wildfires at 30%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Thorp once, in 2009. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.

100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
100Very high riskLowerHigher
AvalanchesWildfireInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here

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

Schools

The schools Thorp’s kids attend

Its one school is below. The Thorp School District runs its public schools. 247 students attend the town’s public school.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Thorp Elem & Jr Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades K–12Grades K–12247–

NCES · EDFacts

Work & commute

Thorp has 0.6 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work

Only 2% of working residents stay in Thorp for work; the rest commute out. The typical household income for Thorp comes to $121,000. Half commute less than 32 miles. The top destinations are Ellensburg (26%), Seattle (7%) and Wenatchee (4%).

2%work in town
ThorpWashington townsU.S. towns
Median household income$121,000$98,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town2.2%4.9%8%

Where working residents work

In Thorp2%
Ellensburg26%
Seattle7%
Wenatchee4%
Redmond3%
32 mi
median commute distance
87
jobs based in Thorp
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Thorp has four seasons and pleasant summers

In Thorp, the July high is 85°F.

85°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter24–38°
Spring35–60°
Summer52–82°
Fall36–61°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
85°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Housing

The typical home in Thorp: about $475K

Home values are up 2.2% over the year to September 2026. Thorp’s midpoint rent comes in at $1,433 a month. Two thirds of Thorp households are owner-occupiers.

$475KZillow home value
ThorpWashington townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,433 a month$1,739 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home67%71%73%

Typical home value

Thorp$475K
Washington$588K
+2.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September

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

Health

How healthy Thorp is

The share of adults in Thorp who binge drink: 18%. Of 31 CDC measures, Thorp beats the Washington average on 8 and trails it on 2. Two figures for adults here: 71% had a checkup this year, 16% get no exercise outside work.

ThorpWashington townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)28%33%36%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)71%71%79%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)16%18%25%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)18%17%16%
31 measures vs. Washington
8 better21 too close to call2 worse
What stands outThorpWA
Fewer uninsured adults5.8%8.4%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity7.2%10.2%
More adults who have had cancer9.3%7.9%
Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
8.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

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

Who lives here

No age group stands out in Thorp against Washington

Among adults 25 and older, 31% have a four-year degree or more, against 40% across Washington. No age group stands out against Washington: all are within 4 points. Thorp’s midpoint age stands at 41.1 years.

41.1median age · WA 38.3
ThorpWashington townsU.S. towns
Median age41.1 years38.5 years40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+31%30%29%
ThorpWashingtonUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma4%
High school48%
Some college17%
Associate’s0%
Bachelor’s23%
Graduate9%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 37% and 68% women

The Census survey reached too few of Thorp’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±15.6 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Thorp
ThorpWAU.S.
Under 109.1%11.5%11.6%
10 to 1713.9%9.9%10.3%
18 to 246.5%8.5%9.1%
25 to 3414.8%15.2%13.7%
35 to 4423.9%14.3%13.2%
45 to 5410.9%12%12.2%
55 to 647.4%12%12.7%
65 to 748.7%10.1%10.2%
75 and older4.8%6.5%7%
No diploma3.7%7.7%10.4%
High school48.1%21.6%26%
Some college16.7%21%19.1%
Associate’s0%10%8.8%
Bachelor’s22.8%24%21.6%
Graduate8.6%15.6%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points

Outdoors

Open space protected for good: 5.4% of Thorp

The trail network density in Thorp is 0.1 miles per square mile. Trails run 0.1 miles in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves here: one, of 14 acres.

5.4%conserved
ThorpWashington townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.1 miles per square mile0.80.4
Conserved land5.4%4%4.3%
5.4%
conserved · 42 of 776 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Palouse to Cascades State Park—14

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Thorp

17pages on Thorp
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Thorp

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Thorp for work

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

26% → Ellensburg Ellensburg 26% 7% → Seattle Seattle 7% 4% → Wenatchee Wenatchee 4% 3% → Redmond Redmond 3% 3% → Yakima Yakima 3% 2% → Cle Elum Cle Elum 2% Thorp · 2% stay
87jobs based in Thorp
2%of working residents work in town
32 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Landmarks

2 places in Thorp on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

About Thorp

Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Thorp ( THORP) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. In 2020, the population was 232. The town of Thorp is 100 miles (160 km) east of Seattle, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Ellensburg, and 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Cle Elum. It is located at the narrow west end of the Kittitas Valley, where high elevation forests of the Cascade Range give way to cattle ranches surrounded by farmlands noted for timothy hay, alfalfa, vegetables, and fruit production. Thorp is named for Fielden Mortimer Thorp, recognized as the first permanent white settler in the Kittitas Valley. He established a homestead at the approach to Taneum C…

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

Established
1868
Area
1.2 sq mi
Elevation
1,637 ft
ZIP code
98946
Area code
509

Questions about Thorp

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Thorp, WA a good place to live?

Thorp has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. The National Register of Historic Places lists 2 places here.