The Town FilesCowiche, Washington
Community in Yakima County · population 535 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $219,900
- Jan low / Jul high
- 27° / 88°
- Snow a year
- 20 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 1
- Median age
- 54.3
Cowiche is a community of 535 people in Yakima County, Washington. The median home is worth $219,900, below the typical Washington town ($475,000). It ranks better for cycling than 80% of Washington towns.
How Cowiche ranks
Percentile among Washington towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Washington towns.
Homes and cost of living
The median home in Cowiche is worth $219,900, below the typical Washington town ($475,000). 35.2% of households own their home.
| Housing | Cowiche | Typical Washington town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $219,900 | $475,000 |
| Median rent | — | $1,597 |
| Median household income | — | $90,625 |
| Home value ÷ income | —× | 5.3× |
| Homeownership | 35.2% | 74.4% |
| Median year built | 1968 | 1985 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 0.0% | — |
Who lives in Cowiche
| People | Cowiche | Typical Washington town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.3 | 40.1 |
| Age 65 and over | 22.3% | 17.9% |
| Under 18 | 0.0% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 8.2% | 27.6% |
| Below the poverty line | 28.6% | 8.5% |
| Veterans | 7.7% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 42.3% | — |
| Work from home | 0.0% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | — min | 27.1 min |
| Homes with broadband | 100.0% | 93.9% |
Weather in Cowiche
July highs average 88.3°F and January lows 26.8°F. About 8.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 20.3 inches of snow (typical Washington town: 4.0 in). Expect about 38 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 109 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Cowiche since 1950, compared with 1 for the typical Washington town. The strongest, an F0, struck on May 9, 1999 about 4.4 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 9, 1999.
Severe weather in Yakima County since 1996
Yakima County has been included in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.
| Declared | Incident | Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| August 3, 2026 | Fire | EM-3650: Wildfires |
| July 26, 2026 | Fire | FM-5649: Signal Peak Fire |
| July 26, 2026 | Fire | FM-5651: Ransier Fire |
| April 7, 2026 | Flood | DR-4906: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| December 12, 2025 | Flood | EM-3629: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
Jobs and pay in Yakima County
Yakima County had 116,547 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $52,108 a year. Unemployment was 5.8% in 2023; in Cowiche itself the ACS puts it at 0%.
Public schools in Cowiche
3 public schools with 898 students, about 18.7 students per teacher.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High School | 9-12 | 364 | 21.4 |
| Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary | PK-2 | 281 | 16.5 |
| Highland Middle School | 6-8 | 253 | 18.1 |
Towns near Cowiche
- Tieton, WA3.0 mi · 1,389 people · home $230,800
- Naches, WA3.9 mi · 1,084 people · home $271,700
- Gleed, WA5.3 mi · 2,873 people · home $353,900
- Summitview, WA5.7 mi · 2,066 people · home $409,600
- Selah, WA8.4 mi · 8,153 people · home $414,600
- Ahtanum, WA9.2 mi · 4,046 people · home $337,500
- Yakima, WA9.5 mi · 96,968 people · home $297,600
- Union Gap, WA13.2 mi · 6,568 people · home $210,600
Cowiche questions
Is Cowiche, Washington a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Cowiche scores better for retirees than 24% of Washington towns and quieter than 37%. 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (median age 54.3).
How much does a house cost in Cowiche?
The median owner-occupied home in Cowiche is valued at $219,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of —. Median rent is — a month.
What is the weather like in Cowiche?
July highs average 88.3°F and January lows 26.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 8.6 inches of precipitation a year and 20.3 inches of snow.
Does Cowiche get tornadoes?
1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Cowiche since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F0 on May 9, 1999. The typical Washington town has had 1.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)