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COUNTY

Pierce County

Washington · 946,288 residents (2025 est.) · 1,668 sq mi
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Part of the Seattle metro area
The short version

Pierce County is home to 930,319 people in Washington. That puts it in the top 1% of US counties for household income. The population is up 33% since 2000. The typical home is worth $526,600, having more than tripled since 2000. About 31% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $1,806 a month.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $99,564, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.0
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 100%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Pierce County

What changed most since 1990

  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$197,526 → $526,600 (+167%)US over the same years: +67%

Among the 39 counties in Washington

  • 4th in household income$99,564
  • 18th in share with a bachelor's degree30.9%
  • 10th in home value$526,600
  • 2nd in diversity score72.8
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
930,319
+33%since 2000
from 700,820 in 2000
946,288 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
558 / sq mi
+33%since 2000
from 420 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
37.0
+9%since 2000
from 34.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,668 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
552K655K758K861K965K19902000201020202024Pierce County
2024930K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56%(56,257)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(60,077)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(61,990)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(56,422)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(59,993)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.4%(142,990)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.5%(135,123)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.8%(110,034)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.8%(109,897)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.1%(84,273)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.3%(39,550)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(13,713)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$99,564
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,204 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$47,648
+127%since 2000
from $20,948 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
63.2%
+27.7 ptssince 2009
from 35.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.8%
−1.7 ptssince 2000
from 10.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.423
+2%since 2010
from 0.413 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade8.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance7.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical7%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services5.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$526,600
+100%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $144,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,806
+59%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $624 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
64.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 63.5% in 2000
35.3% rent
Vacancy rate
5.0%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.59 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.56 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
26.4%
−9.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
50.8%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.3
+14%since 2009
from 4.6 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
80
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76%(532,934)
Black6.8%(47,399)
Hispanic / Latino5.5%(38,621)
Asian5%(35,091)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic61.4%(571,064)
Black7%(64,989)
Hispanic / Latino12.8%(119,500)
Asian6.8%(62,848)
Other12%(111,918)
Diversity Score
73
+31%since 2009
from 55 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
29
−9%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican8.6%(80,345)
Puerto Rican1.2%(10,965)
South American0.5%(4,900)
Spaniard0.5%(4,496)
Salvadoran0.4%(3,844)
Cuban0.2%(2,150)
Honduran0.2%(1,643)
Colombian0.2%(1,643)
Panamanian0.2%(1,511)
Guatemalan0.1%(1,375)
Dominican0.1%(1,144)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(1,084)
Argentine0.1%(712)
Chilean0.1%(663)
Costa Rican0.1%(597)
Nicaraguan0.1%(554)
Venezuelan0.1%(512)
Ecuadorian0%(215)
Bolivian0%(61)
Uruguayan0%(10)
Asian origin
Filipino1.8%(16,953)
Korean1.3%(11,805)
Vietnamese0.8%(7,448)
Cambodian0.8%(7,127)
Chinese0.6%(5,163)
Asian Indian0.4%(3,990)
Japanese0.3%(3,168)
Thai0.2%(1,574)
Laotian0.1%(1,073)
Kazakh0.1%(648)
Nepalese0%(369)
Burmese0%(309)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(238)
Taiwanese0%(156)
Indonesian0%(125)
Pakistani0%(99)
Malaysian0%(56)
Bhutanese0%(31)
Okinawan0%(20)
Mien0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan1%(9,236)
Native Hawaiian0.8%(7,141)
Chamorro0.6%(5,594)
Tongan0.1%(873)
Guamanian0.1%(479)
Fijian0%(433)
Chuukese0%(133)
Ancestry
German14.8%(137,585)
English11.1%(103,268)
Irish10.2%(94,828)
Norwegian4.3%(39,942)
American3.7%(34,080)
Italian3.4%(31,797)
Swedish2.6%(24,348)
Scottish2.6%(24,122)
French2.5%(23,242)
Polish1.6%(14,435)
Subsaharan African1.5%(13,787)
Dutch1.2%(10,896)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Ukrainian1%(8,889)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(8,159)
Russian0.8%(7,191)
Danish0.7%(6,865)
Welsh0.6%(5,957)
British0.6%(5,649)
French Canadian0.5%(4,428)
West Indian0.5%(4,295)
Finnish0.4%(3,765)
Arab0.4%(3,608)
Portuguese0.4%(3,549)
Swiss0.4%(3,392)
Czech0.3%(2,789)
Greek0.3%(2,598)
Canadian0.3%(2,518)
Kenyan0.3%(2,462)
Romanian0.2%(2,298)
Croatian0.2%(2,123)
Jamaican0.2%(1,817)
Nigerian0.2%(1,608)
Hungarian0.2%(1,537)
Turkish0.1%(1,214)
Lebanese0.1%(1,156)
Belgian0.1%(1,046)
Austrian0.1%(941)
Lithuanian0.1%(915)
Ethiopian0.1%(747)
Iranian0.1%(740)
Brazilian0.1%(698)
Haitian0.1%(588)
Armenian0.1%(581)
Iraqi0.1%(543)
Bulgarian0.1%(538)
Slovak0.1%(512)
Slovene0.1%(488)
Latvian0%(354)
Egyptian0%(314)
Australian0%(224)
Ghanaian0%(215)
Moroccan0%(199)
Somali0%(198)
Jordanian0%(187)
Serbian0%(136)
Syrian0%(132)
Israeli0%(121)
Barbadian0%(30)
Guyanese0%(15)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.9%
+10.3 ptssince 2000
from 20.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.5%
+5.6 ptssince 2000
from 86.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.3%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 6.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.3 min
+52%since 2000
from 20.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
70.7%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 75.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.7%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.9%
+9.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.2%
−4.4 ptssince 2011
from 9.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2011
from 66.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.8%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 72.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.3%
+7.5 ptssince 2009
from 31.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Female
49.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Foreign born
10.9%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
10.9%
−5.4 ptssince 2009
from 16.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.9%
−7.7 ptssince 2013
from 13.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.6%
+11.1 ptssince 2017
from 83.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.3%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 95.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
84.9%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 82.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
83.7%
−1.7 ptssince 2016
from 85.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 5.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.9%(134,780)
Married52.3%(196,282)
Widowed2.1%(7,701)
Divorced9.8%(36,848)
Women 15+
Never married28.5%(107,280)
Married51.1%(192,210)
Widowed6.8%(25,440)
Divorced13.7%(51,454)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.9%
−7.7 ptssince 2013
from 13.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 57.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 11.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
21.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 20.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 3.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 72.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 35.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)37.7%(28,601)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)30.2%(22,897)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.4%(20,755)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.4%(1,781)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(433)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 75,769 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Pierce County, decade by decade

Pierce County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990586,203$72,991$197,52617.5%36.8
2000700,820$82,346$263,04720.6%50.9
2010795,225$83,249$387,40723.4%60.4
2020921,130$92,646$407,97227.7%72.9
2024930,319$99,564$526,60030.9%72.8

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Pierce County to nearby counties

PIERCE COUNTY VS
Thurston County
Income$96,563−3%
Home value$480,300−9%
Population304,261−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PIERCE COUNTY VS
King County
Income$124,746+25%
Home value$859,900+63%
Population2,344,939+148%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PIERCE COUNTY VS
Lewis County
Income$74,796−25%
Home value$385,800−27%
Population88,062−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PIERCE COUNTY VS
Kitsap County
Income$104,158+5%
Home value$555,100+5%
Population283,374−70%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Pierce County, Washington?

Pierce County, Washington has about 930,319 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Pierce County, Washington?

The typical household in Pierce County, Washington earns about $99,564 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Pierce County, Washington expensive?

In Pierce County, Washington, the median home is worth about $526,600, and the typical rent is about $1,806 a month.

How educated are people in Pierce County, Washington?

About 30.9% of adults age 25 and over in Pierce County, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Pierce County, Washington?

About 8.8% of people in Pierce County, Washington live below the federal poverty line.

Has Pierce County, Washington grown since 1990?

Yes, Pierce County, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 344,116 residents, a change of about 59 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →