Rochester, WA
98579 · Rochester, WA has a HavenScore of 43 — affordability is the drag — prices are stretched against local incomes.
At the ZIP's typical value, the estimated monthly payment takes 40% of the local median income (Zillow, US Census ACS). The buyer/seller gauge leans narrowly toward buyers, and has for 7 months. Typical values were flat over the last 90 days (Zillow ZHVI).
Saved ZIPs on Haven get an email when the score moves 5+ points as monthly data lands, when the market gauge flips between buyers and sellers, when its valuation read moves against the model value, or when distress jumps in a week.
Zillow ZHVI peaked at $528,040 in Feb 2026; the latest value is -1.1% from that peak, 5 months on. Since January 2019 it is +74.8%. The sharpest 12-month move was -5.4%, ending Jun 2023.
Ranked #10,925 of 13,130 nationally · #4,602 of 5,378 small market ZIPs
Buyer view active — Leans harder on affordability and downside risk.
Score inputs below recompute for this view
Snapshot
Numbers at a glance, with a year of history under each
Place
What it is like to live here, and what could flood or burn
Bands are each source’s own · tick marks the national median ZIP · not blended into the score
Tract-level rolled up to ZIP · not a property-level rating · no future-year projection · refreshed annually (Dec 2025 release) · county tick = median of 12 scored ZIPs in Thurston County
Everyday prices in the Olympia metro run 4% above the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024).
Rents in the index run 17% above the US average.
$75,000 at US-average prices buys what $77,750 buys here.
Metro-level index, US = 100 · 2024 · the Olympia metro, not this ZIP alone
What drives the score
Five pillars, each scored 0–100
Market signals
Tailwinds and headwinds right now
- Potentially overvalued94% above historical price-to-income
- Widespread price cuts41% of listings cutting price
Market conditions
Leaning Buyer
Conditions are easing in buyers' favor. The score reads more negotiation room than balanced.
Cycle read. Cooling: prices +1.1% over the trailing year, with the market leaning toward buyers.
The Zillow figure is a smoothed index of typical value, not a list price; the Redfin figures are closed sales for the month shown.
Momentum check
What's changed in the last 90 days
Trend
Where it's been
Forecast
Where it's heading
The HavenScore Forecast Model (v1) projects this ZIP’s median value at 3-, 6-, and 12-month horizons, with 80% prediction intervals; Pro adds 24- and 36-month horizons.
Monthly cost
What you'd owe each month
20% down · 30-yr fixed · 6.71% · tax 0.87%
Rent data isn’t published for this ZIP, so we can’t compute a rent-vs-buy gap.
Insurance uses the average homeowners premium insurers reported for this ZIP in 2022, $1,147 a year (Treasury Federal Insurance Office).
40%of the ZIP’s median income at the median value ($3,174/mo against $94,284 · Zillow, Freddie Mac PMMS, US Census ACS). Your own marker appears once you set an income or price in the calculator below.
Median home value ÷ median household income · Zillow ZHVI, US Census ACS · under 4× has historically been comfortable
Run the numbers
Your price, rate, down payment and income
Like for like: a 3-bedroom here rents for about $2,280 a month (HUD Small Area Fair Market Rent, FY2026) against a typical 3-bedroom value of $522k (Zillow ZHVI by bedroom) — a 5.2% gross rent yield.
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Comparable ZIPs
Same shape, lower entry
ZIPs the score groups near 98579 on Affordability and Growth — sorted by lowest median value. Each tile names what the lower price trades: commute (ACS), walkability band (EPA) and hazard rating (FEMA).
- Saves $273k
- Shorter commute (−5 min)
- More walkable
- Similar hazard risk
- Saves $205k
- Longer commute (+4 min)
- Similar walkability
- Similar hazard risk
- Saves $32k
- Longer commute (+8 min)
- Similar walkability
- Lower hazard risk
- Saves $32k
- Shorter commute (−4 min)
- More walkable
- Higher hazard risk
Sources
Every number, traced
Every metric above is sourced from public datasets, normalized against the national ZIP distribution. Home values and rents refresh monthly; demographics refresh annually.
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