The Town FilesSelah, Washington
City in Yakima County · population 8,153 (2020 Census)
- Median home
- $414,600
- Household income
- $74,783
- Jan low / Jul high
- 22° / 88°
- Snow a year
- 20 in
- Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
- 4
- Median age
- 33.0
Selah is a city of 8,153 people in Yakima County, Washington. The median home is worth $414,600, below the typical Washington town ($475,000). It ranks more of a college town than 96% of Washington towns, easier by car than 91% of Washington towns, more walkable than 77% of Washington towns.
How Selah 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 Selah is worth $414,600, below the typical Washington town ($475,000). Homes cost about 5.5 times the median household income of $74,783, which is more affordable than 44% of Washington towns. Median rent is $1,539 a month. 59.4% of households own their home.
| Housing | Selah | Typical Washington town |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $414,600 | $475,000 |
| Median rent | $1,539 | $1,597 |
| Median household income | $74,783 | $90,625 |
| Home value ÷ income | 5.5× | 5.3× |
| Homeownership | 59.4% | 74.4% |
| Median year built | 1990 | 1985 |
| Seasonal / vacation homes | 0.0% | — |
Who lives in Selah
| People | Selah | Typical Washington town |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.0 | 40.1 |
| Age 65 and over | 14.7% | 17.9% |
| Under 18 | 28.1% | — |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.5% | 27.6% |
| Below the poverty line | 13.9% | 8.5% |
| Veterans | 5.8% | — |
| Born outside the U.S. | 8.5% | — |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 13.4% |
| Average commute | 17.5 min | 27.1 min |
| Homes with broadband | 86.1% | 93.9% |
Weather in Selah
July highs average 87.8°F and January lows 21.6°F. About 8.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 20.3 inches of snow (typical Washington town: 4.0 in). Expect about 39 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 168 nights at or below freezing.
Tornadoes, storms and disasters
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Selah since 1950, compared with 1 for the typical Washington town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on April 30, 1957 about 3.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on April 7, 2008.
Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on July 31, 2010.
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 Selah itself the ACS puts it at 4.4%.
Public schools in Selah
9 public schools with 3,787 students, about 16.7 students per teacher.
| School | Grades | Students | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selah High School | 9-12 | 1,124 | 17.0 |
| Selah Middle School | 6-8 | 909 | 18.9 |
| Selah Intermediate School | 3-5 | 813 | 16.9 |
| John Campbell Primary School | 1-2 | 533 | 13.3 |
| Robert Lince Early Learning Center | PK-K | 382 | 15.3 |
| Selah HomeLink | K-8 | 20 | — |
| VIKING CHOICE | 9-12 | 5 | — |
| Selah Academy Online | 9-12 | 1 | — |
| SELAH ACADEMY REENGAGEMENT PROGRAM | 9-12 | — | — |
Towns near Selah
- Gleed, WA3.2 mi · 2,873 people · home $353,900
- Yakima, WA3.8 mi · 96,968 people · home $297,600
- Terrace Heights, WA5.8 mi · 9,244 people · home $377,300
- Union Gap, WA6.7 mi · 6,568 people · home $210,600
- Ahtanum, WA7.1 mi · 4,046 people · home $337,500
- Moxee, WA8.8 mi · 4,326 people · home $362,800
- Wapato, WA15.0 mi · 4,607 people · home $185,100
- Zillah, WA20.7 mi · 3,179 people · home $334,800
Selah questions
Is Selah, Washington a good place to retire?
On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Selah scores better for retirees than 28% of Washington towns and quieter than 14%. 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 33.0).
How much does a house cost in Selah?
The median owner-occupied home in Selah is valued at $414,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $74,783, so homes cost about 5.5 times income. Median rent is $1,539 a month.
What is the weather like in Selah?
July highs average 87.8°F and January lows 21.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 8.4 inches of precipitation a year and 20.3 inches of snow.
Does Selah get tornadoes?
4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Selah since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on April 30, 1957. 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)