98801 receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
98801
98802
Opportunity
65 · Top 29%
vs64 · Top 31%
Growth
52 · Top 47%
vs54 · Top 43%
Climate
66 · Bottom 38%
vs66 · Bottom 38%
Physical resilience
20 · Bottom 14%
vs9 · Bottom 4%
Housing affordability
72 · Bottom 38%
vs73 · Bottom 40%
Access
71 · Bottom 13%
vs73 · Bottom 14%
Economic stability
65 · Top 40%
vs66 · Top 37%
Measured values
| Metric | 98801 | 98802 | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 45,426 | 33,539 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $81,488 | $87,744 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $42,268 | $41,163 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 296/sq mi | 186/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $461,200 | $450,300 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,265 | $1,424 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 58.8% | 69.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.2% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.6% | -0.3% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.6% | 22.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 9.1% | 7.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 265 | 24 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 1.7 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -29.1% | 41.2% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 88°F | 88°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 24°F | 24°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 7.8" | 7.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 50 mi | 44 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 19.6 min | 19.9 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 37.0 | 38.4 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 18 | 10 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 17.67 | 18.65 | 2024-25 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 64.8% | 58.2% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
98801
Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, avalanche, inland flooding.
98802
Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, cold wave, inland flooding.
Full profiles: 98801 — Wenatchee, WA · 98802 — East Wenatchee, WA · How this is calculated: methodology