Olympia is a larger medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 55,669 people and 27 associated neighborhoods, Olympia is the 23rd largest community in Washington. Housing costs in Olympia are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Washington.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Olympia is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Olympia is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Olympia who work in management occupations (12.06%), office and administrative support (9.33%), and sales jobs (7.60%). Also of interest is that Olympia has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Olympia telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 17.96% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Olympia is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery. Olympia is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 47.90% of adults in Olympia have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Olympia in 2022 was $41,904, which is upper middle income relative to Washington and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $167,616 for a family of four. However, Olympia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Olympia is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Olympia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Olympia residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Olympia also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.17% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Olympia include German, English, Irish, Norwegian, and Italian. The most common language spoken in Olympia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Vietnamese.
