Postal Codes

98042 ZIP Code

Advertisement

English Español

ZIP code 98042 covers Kent, Washington, with a population of about 48,594 and a median household income of $125,554.

Population
48,5941,749 per square mile
Median age
401.3 points above the US average
Median household income
$125,5541.3× the Washington median
Poverty rate
4.1%8.3 points below the US average
Typical home value
$697,909up 11.6% in five years
Median rent
$2,1211.3× the Washington median
Degree or higher
33.7%1.3 points below the US average
Homeownership
82.4%17.4 points above the US average
Time zone
Pacific UTC-08:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
898

Where 98042 is

Kent, Washington — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population48,594
Median age40
Family households77.9%
Born outside the US18.5%
Speaks a language other than English at home25.2%
White (non-Hispanic)61.8%
Black (non-Hispanic)5.8%
Asian (non-Hispanic)13%
Hispanic or Latino11.8%
Veterans7.7%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$125,554
Income per person$54,230
Poverty rate4.1%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance8.3%

Household income distribution

Under $10k1.9%
$10–15k0.8%
$15–20k1.3%
$20–25k1.9%
$25–30k1.5%
$30–35k1.5%
$35–40k2.5%
$40–45k2.1%
$45–50k2.6%
$50–60k3.2%
$60–75k6.2%
$75–100k12.7%
$100–125k11.5%
$125–150k11.5%
$150–200k15.3%
$200k or more23.6%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed24,150
Mean adjusted gross income$104,798
Returns declaring $200,000 or more11.3%
Returns, under $25k18.6%
Returns, $25k–$50k17.8%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k11.5%
Returns, $100k–$200k25.7%
Returns, $200k or more11.3%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$613,000
Median gross rent$2,121
Rent as a share of household income32.5%
Owner-occupied82.4%
Vacant homes2.8%
Median year built1987

What the homes are

Detached house85%
Attached house2%
2 to 4 units0.9%
5 to 19 units3.8%
20 or more units4.2%
Mobile home3.9%
Boat, RV or van0.3%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$697,909as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yeardown 1.6%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 11.6%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 88.7%
Typical asking rent$2,422as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yearup 2.2%
Typical asking rent, 5 yearsup 27%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$733,963$233,188

$233,188 in 2000 to $697,909 in 2026.

Typical asking rent
201920222026$2,422$1,660

$1,660 in 2019 to $2,422 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate3%
Bachelor's degree or higher33.7%
High school diploma or higher92.7%
Works from home15.2%
Drives to work alone73.1%
Takes public transport2.1%
Commutes 45 minutes or more28.3%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity24.6% 8.8 pts below the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes8.1% 3.9 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes8.9% 4.3 pts below the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure29.1% 5 pts below the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health14.3% 6 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)7.4% 3.9 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.5% 3.6 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity15.3% 10.1 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis22.6% 2.5 pts below the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking17.3% 1.3 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication69.7% 5 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)7.7% same as the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.6% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease4.7% 1.5 pts below the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year70.5% 6.2 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.8% same as the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability12.6% 2.2 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening66.8% 2.5 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD4.4% 2.2 pts below the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist69.4% 8.1 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability23.8% 6.9 pts below the national average of 30.7%
Hearing disability5.2% 1.5 pts below the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol35.9% same as the national average of 36.2%
Independent living disability6% 2.4 pts below the national average of 8.4%
Mammography use76.3% same as the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)16.2% 0.6 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability8.8% 5.2 pts below the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)11.4% 2.1 pts below the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability2.8% 1.2 pts below the national average of 4%
Sleeps under 7 hours30.3% 6.1 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke2.7% 0.7 pts below the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost8% 5 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability3.7% 1.9 pts below the national average of 5.6%
Advertisement
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments898
People employed7,229
Annual payroll$295,732,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 62.9% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively High across the 15 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss76.3 out of 100
Community resilience80.9 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Volcanic activity91.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake91.4Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide72.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding56.3Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire52.9Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave45.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather41.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm34.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave20.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado14.8Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning9.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail0.9Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Washington and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPWashingtonUnited States
Median household income$125,554$94,952$78,538
Income per person$54,230$51,493$43,289
Poverty rate4.1%9.9%12.4%
Median home value$613,000$519,800$303,400
Median gross rent$2,121$1,682$1,348
Homeownership82.4%63.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher33.7%38.8%35%
Unemployment rate3%5%5.2%
Works from home15.2%17.7%13.5%
Born outside the US18.5%15.1%13.9%
Median age4038.238.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationKENT, WA US10.7 km away
Rain in a year40 in

Average high and low by month

January48.4°F / 36.1°F5.77 in rain
February51.2°F / 36.2°F3.99 in rain
March55.8°F / 39°F4.36 in rain
April61.4°F / 42.8°F3.06 in rain
May68°F / 48.7°F2.1 in rain
June71.9°F / 53.3°F1.68 in rain
July78.3°F / 57.3°F0.67 in rain
August78.3°F / 57.3°F0.92 in rain
September72.5°F / 52.4°F1.49 in rain
October61.3°F / 45.6°F4.07 in rain
November52.7°F / 39.1°F6.23 in rain
December47°F / 35.4°F5.75 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarket70% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 3 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Kent School District92.1% of this ZIP code's land area
Auburn School District5.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Tahoma School District2.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability23more vulnerable than 23% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status16more vulnerable than 16% of US census tracts
Household characteristics37more vulnerable than 37% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport31more vulnerable than 31% of US census tracts
Walkability7.4 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

98038 Maple Valley, WA5.1 km away
98031 Kent, WA5.9 km away
98093 Federal Way, WA6.4 km away
98089 Kent, WA6.5 km away
98030 Kent, WA7.1 km away
98035 Kent, WA8.7 km away
98064 Kent, WA8.7 km away
98058 Renton, WA8.7 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

King County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zonePacific (UTC-08:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area27.79 sq mi
Water area0.58 sq mi
Population density1,749 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude47.3680, -122.1206

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

Advertisement