Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Yakima County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $328,475 | $471,160 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 13.5% | 12.1% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,068 | $1,681 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 4.7% | 6.9% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Yakima County is about 30% lower than in Washington. Rent is about 36% lower than the Washington average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Both home prices and rent are rising in Yakima County, up about 13.5% and 4.7% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Yakima County rose about 38.0% between 2015 and 2023, from $774 to $1,068. Over the same span, rent in Washington rose about 65.7%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 4.9 yearly household incomes in Yakima County.
Buying the median-priced home in Yakima County costs roughly 25.6 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Yakima County. The price-to-rent ratio in Washington is about 23.4.
| Metric | Yakima County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $328,475 | $471,160 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $67,440 | $95,177 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 4.9 | 5.0 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Yakima County rose about 130.4%, while median household income rose about 60.3% between 2009 and 2023 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Yakima County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 59.0% | 59.1% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 35.5% | 33.4% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 5.4% | 7.4% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 15.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 |
Yakima County has a homeownership rate of 59.0%, about the same as the Washington average of 59.1%. Its housing vacancy rate is 5.4%, compared with 7.4% in Washington.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Yakima County | Washington Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.91 people | 2.51 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1975 | 1982 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Yakima County was built around 1975. On average, 2.9 people live in a home with about 5.5 rooms, staying for about 15.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Yakima County, Washington.
What is the median home price in Yakima County, Washington?
The median home price in Yakima County, Washington is $328,475, lower than the Washington average of $471,160.
What is the average home price in Yakima County, Washington?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Yakima County, Washington?
The median gross rent in Yakima County, Washington is $1,068 per month, lower than the Washington average of $1,681.
What was the median gross rent in Yakima County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Yakima County, Washington was $867 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Yakima County, Washington?
The price-to-rent ratio in Yakima County, Washington is about 25.6, meaning it would take roughly 25.6 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Yakima County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Yakima County, Washington?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Yakima County, up about 13.5% and 4.7% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Yakima County, Washington?
59.0% of households in Yakima County, Washington own their home, about the same as the Washington average.
What is the vacancy rate in Yakima County, Washington?
The housing vacancy rate in Yakima County, Washington is 5.4%, lower than the Washington average of 7.4%.