Palouse is a city in Whitman County, Washington, home to about 1,147 people across 1.1 square miles. Its ZIP code is 99161.
Homes sold for a median of $212 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Palouse. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Palouse’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Spokane International Airport (GEG)53 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW)12 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Seattle, WA252 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Palouse; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Palouse had 1,015 residents in the 2020 census, up 0% since 2000.
It’s the 384th largest of 628 towns in Washington by population.
Whitman County grew from 25,360 residents in 1900 to 47,973 in 2020.
Whitman County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 25°F. About 20.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 33 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pullman 2 Nw, WA weather station (11 miles away).
11,417 jobs at 873 businesses in Whitman County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Palouse.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 1 |
|---|---|
| Mental health providers | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Palouse School District, Garfield School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palouse ElementaryPalouse | Pre-K–5 | 100 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Palouse at Garfield Middle SchoolPalouse | 6–8 | 34 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Garfield at Palouse High SchoolPalouse | 9–12 | 45 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Palouse High SchoolPalouse | 9–12 | 57 | Public | 0.8 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.