COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Pierce County

Washington · 586,203 residents · 1,668 sq mi

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The short version

Pierce County is a county of 586,203 people in Washington. The population has fallen 16% since 2000. About 17% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $82,300. Households earn $30,412 at the median, near the US median.

At a glance

Average income

near the US median

US median: $30,130

Younger

median age 31.4

US median: 33.0

Average education

17% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 25%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

586,203

−16%vs 2000

vs 700,820 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

31.4

−8%vs 2000

vs 34.1 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

1,668 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024930K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 58.2%(48,152)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 97.9%(46,121)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 147.3%(42,905)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 196.8%(40,092)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 248.2%(47,896)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.3%(107,045)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4415.3%(89,635)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 5410%(58,770)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 647.6%(44,340)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 746.2%(36,526)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.2%(19,003)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1%(5,718)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$30,412

−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $45,204 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$13,439

−36%vs 2000

vs $20,948 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

11.4%

+0.9 ptsvs 2000

vs 10.5% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$82,300

−25%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $144,400 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$436

−8%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $624 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

60.4%

−3.1 ptsvs 2000

vs 63.5% in 2000

39.6% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic76%(532,934)

Black6.8%(47,399)

Hispanic / Latino5.5%(38,621)

Asian5%(35,091)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic85.2%(499,371)

Black7.2%(42,269)

Hispanic / Latino3.3%(19,445)

Asian4.9%(28,918)

Other2.7%(15,645)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican8.6%(80,345)

Puerto Rican1.2%(10,965)

Central American1%(9,566)

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)

Bangladeshi0%(78)

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)

Marshallese0%(89)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(556)

Iraqi0.1%(543)

Bulgarian0.1%(538)

Slovak0.1%(512)

Slovene0.1%(488)

Latvian0%(354)

Egyptian0%(314)

Australian0%(224)

Ghanaian0%(215)

Moroccan0%(199)

Palestinian0%(198)

Somali0%(198)

Jordanian0%(187)

Serbian0%(136)

Syrian0%(132)

Israeli0%(121)

Macedonian0%(82)

Barbadian0%(30)

Guyanese0%(15)

Cape Verdean0%(15)

RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Norwegian population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

17.5%

−3.1 ptsvs 2000

vs 20.6% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

83.2%

−3.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 86.9% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

5.5%

−1.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 6.9% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

23.7 min

+16%vs 2000

vs 20.6 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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

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