Thurston County has published its report “Journey to Health Equity: Health Disparities within Thurston County 2025,” a comprehensive examination of the health inequities facing the county.
The 30-page report, released last week, provides insights into disparities that affect the health and wellbeing of Thurston County community members and strategies for addressing them, according to a news release from the county.
These results form an extensive breakdown conducted by public health professionals and local experts. It serves as a tool for understanding the underlying causes of health disparities and provides a comprehensive overview of how the community can work collectively to reduce them.
The analysis shows how financial hardship, poverty, housing, educational attainment, gender or sexual diversity, veteran status, disability status and other influences can impact people’s opportunities to lead healthy lives. A closer look at key indicators, including childhood poverty, median household income, housing cost burden, birth outcomes and life expectancy, demonstrates how deeply inequities run across different demographics within Thurston County.
The report delves into how social determinants of health, such as income, education, housing, health behaviors, community support, and access to healthcare, vary widely across racial, ethnic and geographic lines, leading to stark disparities in health outcomes.
According to the report, 31% of households in the county face financial hardship, including 41% in Olympia, 46% in Tenino, 48% in Grand Mound, 45% in Bucoda and 35% in Tumwater.
One of the report’s most significant findings is the disparities that the American Indian/Alaska Native population face in Thurston County. The report states that 9% of the population lives in poverty and that the American Indian/Alaska Native population is twice as likely to experience poverty compared to the overall county population, higher than any race or ethnicity.
In Thurston County, 11% of the population under 18 years of age lives in poverty, per the report. This number more than triples for American Indian/Alaska Native children at 38%. Additionally, the median household income in the county is $88,895, but people who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native ($62,292) and Hispanic ($77,920) have the lowest median household incomes.
The report includes data provided by the Thurston County 2024 Point-in-Time Count Homeless Census Report, which details that 71% of the unsheltered homeless population is white, 54% is male, 43% is female, 8% are veterans and 13% are fleeing domestic violence.
To read the full report, visit https://tinyurl.com/mwbuzjpe.
