Selah, Washington

Population

Growing. Up 5.3% since 2020.

8,678

people, the 102nd-largest of Washington's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Washington's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

86.1%

of 2,747 jobs located in Selah are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 135% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,539

a month. Washington's median is $1,760.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,179 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Yakima County.

• $556 Tract 9400.03
• $1,735 Tract 28.03

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$923–$1,384

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,539 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

72% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 65 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 62% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 72% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–0.8% to the 3,489 homes here.

14–27

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 27% less than Washington's.

$414,600

median home value in Selah.

• $414,600 Selah
• $564,600 Washington
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year