HomeWashingtonCowlitz CountyKelso
Kelso, Washington: commercial real estate data.
Kelso is a Census city of 12,684 people across 8.14 square miles of land, in Cowlitz County. Median household income is $66,751, 56.1 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 17 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $23.9 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Kelso
What Kelso is
- Census place typecity
- Land area8.14 sq mi
- Water area0.7 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,559
- County holding the largest share of its areaCowlitz County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kelso
How many people live in Kelso
- Population12,684
- Median age39.9
- Population under 182,498
- Share under 1819.7 percent
- Population 65 and over2,194
- Share 65 and over17.3 percent
- Households5,435
- Family households3,481
- Share of households that are families64.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kelso
Income and work in Kelso
- Median household income$66,751
- Per capita income$35,246
- Civilian labor force6,643
- Employed6,204
- Unemployed439 plus or minus 188
- Unemployment rate6.6 percent plus or minus 2.8
- Adults 25 and over9,106
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher88.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher12.5 percent plus or minus 3.1
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.0 percent plus or minus 1.4
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kelso
Housing in Kelso
- Housing units5,656
- Occupied units5,435
- Vacant units221 plus or minus 117
- Vacancy rate3.9 percent plus or minus 2.1
- Owner occupied3,051
- Renter occupied2,384
- Ownership rate56.1 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$337,600
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,220
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.9 percent
- Single family units3,800
- Share single family67.2 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more1,574 plus or minus 315
- Share in buildings of two or more27.8 percent
- Mobile homes282 plus or minus 88
- Median year structure built1963
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kelso
How Kelso gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute5,651
- Commuting under 15 minutes2,628
- Share commuting under 15 minutes46.5 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more1,392 plus or minus 398
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more24.6 percent plus or minus 6.7
- Drove alone84.5 percent
- Carpooled6.7 percent plus or minus 2.9
- Public transport0.4 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Walked2.4 percent plus or minus 2.1
- Worked from home5.6 percent plus or minus 2.2
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kelso
SBA loans in Kelso (7(a))
- Approvals17
- Gross approval$23,866,200
- Average approval$1,403,894
- Median approval$508,500
- Largest approval$4,881,800
- Jobs supported353
- Jobs per approval20.8
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more35.3 percent
- Share to franchises23.5 percent
- Distinct lenders12
- Distinct industries by NAICS14
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Kelso, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Kelso
SBA loans in Kelso (504)
- Approvals11
- Gross approval$6,872,000
- Average approval$624,727
- Median approval$378,000
- Largest approval$1,666,000
- Jobs supported49
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Charged off0
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Kelso, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Kelso
Flood risk in Kelso
- NFIP communityCity of Kelso
- NFIP community number530033
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date12/16/15
The City of Kelso participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 530033 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Cowlitz County, not Kelso
Cowlitz County context, not Kelso figures
- Establishments in Cowlitz County2,309
- Covered employment, Cowlitz County41,235
- Average annual pay, Cowlitz County$67,600
- Housing units permitted, Cowlitz County353
Every figure in this section is published for Cowlitz County as a whole and is not a measurement of Kelso.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Kelso questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Kelso, Washington?
12,684, in 5,435 households. Kelso city covers 8.14 square miles of land, which is 1,559 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Kelso in?
Cowlitz County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Kelso?
$66,751. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $337,600. Median gross rent is $1,220 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Kelso businesses?
17 7(a) approvals totaling $23.9 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, median approval $508,500, plus 11 504 approvals worth $6.9 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Kelso, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Kelso borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Kelso. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Kelso in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Kelso appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Kelso, city of, community 530033, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Kelso figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Cowlitz County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Kelso.
Is zoning published for Kelso?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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