ZIP Code 98439 — McChord AFB CDP, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98439 covers McChord AFB, WA in Pierce County with a population of about 5,389.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 25.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 253; U.S. House district WA-10; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

McChord AFB, WA reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (base-related place names in city/county context). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 98439 is about $47,056 — about 37% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 13.2%; unemployment rate near 14.3%; 14.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 19.3 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Construction, Retail trade, and Healthcare; about 2.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 12.8 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,526 (about 31% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 8.2% (about 57.2 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for McChord AFB CDP, WA as Relatively High (composite score 98.5), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (96.2) and wildfire (76.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for McChord AFB CDP, WA show little to no average snow and around 40.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 289 for ZIP 98439 (McChord AFB CDP, WA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.