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An editorial illustration of Gig Harbor, Washington
Pierce County · Washington

Gig Harbor, WA

Health care is Gig Harbor’s clearest local employment anchor.

Population
13,140
8% more from 2021 to 2026
Family households
64.4%
±6 points at 90% confidence
Local jobs
10,472
7% more from 2018 to 2023
Median income
$118,395
±$9,381 at 90% confidence
City overview

The forces shaping Gig Harbor now.

01
The employers behind the economy

Health care is Gig Harbor’s clearest local employment anchor.

Gig Harbor contains 10,472 workplace jobs. Healthcare accounts for 19% of them. Retail is next at 18%.

St. Anthony Hospital is one of only two city worksites covered by the commute-reduction plan and is expanding an 80-bed campus. The city also identifies the YMCA and Metagenics as important anchors, while downtown and waterfront businesses serve visitors and residents in smaller establishments.

Workplace jobs: 2023
02
A campus city

Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor puts a campus population into Gig Harbor’s workday.

64% of households are estimated to be families. Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor adds a postsecondary population that is not visible in the public-school count.

Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor bring commuters, renters, and daytime customers into Gig Harbor with needs unlike a conventional workforce. Student and staff counts are the next useful measure.

Households: ACS 2024 · public-school locations: OSPI 2025–26
03
The trajectory

Both sides of Gig Harbor’s day are growing: the people who live there and the jobs located there.

Gig Harbor’s population rose 8% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 7% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

Gig Harbor has to absorb both forms of growth. If housing, services, or transportation lag, the 0-point gap between them will reappear as longer trips, higher prices, or harder hiring.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023
04
The commute that shapes the city

Gig Harbor sends its largest stream of resident workers to Tacoma.

23% of observed resident job destinations are in Tacoma, followed by Seattle at 19%. Only 13% are inside Gig Harbor.

Current GTFS schedules 876 weekday stop departures at 60 stops inside Gig Harbor; that supply still needs to be tested against the route to Tacoma, the largest outside job destination. Schedule supply is not ridership.

Workplace flows: 2023 · commute modes: ACS 2024
People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 2.3 people. 64% are estimated to be family households, while 33% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size
2.3

±0.2 people at 90% confidence

Median age
46.6

±4.5 years at 90% confidence

Living alone
33%

±8 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+
52%

Among residents age 25 and older. ±7 points at 90% confidence

Population composition

Who lives here

Estimated share of all Gig Harbor residents. Each percentage uses the city’s total population as its denominator.

White, non-Hispanic79% ±5 pts
Two or more races, non-Hispanic8.8% ±3 pts
Hispanic / Latino, any race5.9% ±3 pts
Another race, non-Hispanic1.8% ±1 pts
Korean1.4% ±1 pts
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.9% ±0.7 pts
Black, non-Hispanic0.7% ±0.6 pts
Chinese, except Taiwanese0.6% ±0.5 pts
American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.3% ±0.2 pts
Vietnamese0.2% ±0.2 pts
Filipino0.1% ±0.1 pts
Cambodian<0.1% ±0.2 pts
Other Asian, not specified<0.1% ±0.1 pts
Japanese<0.1% ±0.1 pts
Asian Indian<0.1% ±0.1 pts

0% published estimate: Hmong, Mongolian, Okinawan, Taiwanese, Other East Asian, Burmese, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Thai, Other Southeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Afghan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Other Central Asian, Other Asian, specified, Two or more Asian groups. Zero is not proof that no residents identify with that group.

ACS 2020–2024 · 5-year estimates
Dataset
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates · tables B03002 and B02015
Period
2020–2024
Geography
Gig Harbor Census place
Definition
Race and Hispanic/Latino origin are self-reported Census concepts. Hispanic/Latino may be of any race; the broad display uses non-Hispanic race categories plus Hispanic/Latino of any race.
Method
Every percentage is shown with its 90% margin of error. Detailed Asian estimates use the Asian-alone universe and are divided by the city population for display.
Open the official source ↗
Work

What powers the local economy—and how dependent is it?

Healthcare & Social Assistance accounts for 19% of jobs located in Gig Harbor. The city’s job base changed +67% between 2010 and 2023.

Jobs by sector

Workplace jobs inside the city—not the industries of residents who commute elsewhere.

Healthcare & Social Assistance19%
Retail18%
Hospitality18%
Administrative & Support Services12%
Construction / Real Estate7%

Verified employer anchors

Major employment sites identified by the City of Gig Harbor; local headcounts were not published · Current or recent profile · 2024–2025 planning records. The stated employer vintage is within the current two-year publication window.

St. Anthony Hospital is one of only two city worksites covered by the commute-reduction plan and is expanding an 80-bed campus. The city also identifies the YMCA and Metagenics as important anchors, while downtown and waterfront businesses serve visitors and residents in smaller establishments.

St. Anthony HospitalHeadcount not published
City of Gig HarborHeadcount not published
Tom Taylor Family YMCAHeadcount not published
MetagenicsHeadcount not published

City of Gig Harbor Comprehensive Plan and commute-trip-reduction plan ↗. Headcounts change faster than Census employment totals.

Housing

What kinds of homes exist—and where is pressure showing?

62% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 38% rented. The firmer current signal is construction intent: 8 homes were authorized in 2025, versus a recent pace of about 14 per year.

Home value profile

What owner-occupied homes are worth

Owner estimates from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey—not listings, recorded sales, or appraisals. The final Census band is open-ended: $2 million and above.

Median estimate$767k±31660.0 at 90% confidence
Middle half of homes$575k–$937kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates
Luxury-home concentration2%≈72 homes · estimated at $2M+
Under $500k15%
$500–749k32%
$750–999k37%
$1–1.49M11%
$1.5–1.99M2%
$2M+2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year tables B25075–B25078. Values cover owner-occupied homes only and do not measure current asking prices or recent purchase prices.

The housing mix we can estimate confidently

This describes the existing stock. It does not imply that one building type is preferable.

Detached houses60%
Attached houses9%
2–4 unit buildings6%
5+ unit buildings22%
Other3%
Owner-occupied
62%

±7 points at 90% confidence

Homes authorized, 2025
8

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

Residential buildings, 2025
8

One building can contain one home or many housing units.

2023–2025 annual pace
14 homes

Average housing units authorized per year across the latest three final annual estimates.

Permit activity: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, final annual estimate for 2025. Housing units authorized are not starts or completions.

Mobility

Where do residents need to go—and who has a real alternative to driving?

Current transit schedules include 60 stops and 876 weekday stop departures inside Gig Harbor. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures
876

Scheduled stop departures in the current covered-feed snapshot—not riders.

Transit stops
60

Matched inside city limits; nearby cross-border stops are separate.

Top outside workplace
Tacoma

23% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city
13%

Share of observed resident job destinations located in the same city in 2023 LODES.

Where resident workers go

Top observed workplace destinations. 13% work inside Gig Harbor.

Tacoma23%
Peak drive: 30–60 min
Seattle19%
Peak drive: 45–90 min
Bellevue5%
Peak drive: 55–100 min
SeaTac5%

The strongest outside connection is Tacoma. Employer or corridor changes there can alter everyday life in Gig Harbor, even when nothing changes inside the city boundary.

How residents usually get to work

Citywide ACS 2020–2024 estimates describe workers’ usual commute—not every trip made today.

Work from home
24%

Share of workers usually working from home. ±5 points at 90% confidence

Use public transit
0.9%

Usual commute mode—not all transit trips. ±0.8 points at 90% confidence

Households without a vehicle
3.2%

Households, rather than workers. ±1 points at 90% confidence

For someone choosing a home in Gig Harbor, the practical test is the trip to Tacoma, the leading outside workplace destination in the published flows. These citywide shares cannot show whether that trip works from a particular address.

Typical drive times

About how long does it take to get where people go?

Work destinations are selected from observed resident job flows. These are broad, reviewed planning ranges from representative parts of Gig Harbor—not live-traffic or door-to-door predictions.

Starting area
Tacoma employment area

Tacoma is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Gig Harbor, representing 17% of matched resident jobs from this city.

25–50 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Local arterial-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.40x circuity factor and an assumed 28 km/h peak-effective / 42 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Downtown Seattle employment core

Seattle is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Gig Harbor, representing 15% of matched resident jobs from this city.

50–90 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Highway-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.25x circuity factor and an assumed 45 km/h peak-effective / 70 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Gig Harbor employment area

Gig Harbor is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Gig Harbor, representing 10% of matched resident jobs from this city.

5–20 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Local arterial-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.40x circuity factor and an assumed 28 km/h peak-effective / 42 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Downtown Bellevue employment core

Bellevue is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Gig Harbor, representing 4% of matched resident jobs from this city.

60–110 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Highway-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.25x circuity factor and an assumed 45 km/h peak-effective / 70 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Method, review date, and sources

Planning estimate; actual time varies by departure time, route, traffic, weather, incidents, and closures.

Estimates are derived from reviewed origin/destination coordinates using a documented distance-to-time heuristic (circuity factor and assumed effective speed by corridor type and period), then deliberately widened and rounded to a broad band. No live routing or traffic API was called.

Estimates reviewed 2026-09-10. Starting point: selected representative area.

City boundary and regional context● nearby   ● work destinations
Daily life

Community institutions and local activity

Public schools, libraries, pharmacies, and listed everyday places show part of the local inventory inside Gig Harbor; taxable sales show the scale and direction of local commercial activity. Residents also use places across city lines, so a boundary count is not the same as access.

Local field guide

Places for everyday needs in Gig Harbor

Care, errands, food, fitness, and personal services gathered into one browsable directory.

Hospitals1 in cityView all
St Anthony Hospital11567 CANTERWOOD BOULEVARD NW · GIG HARBOR, WA 98332 · Acute Care Hospitals · Emergency servicesMapExplore all hospitals nearby in MapsOpen
Clinics and urgent care14 listedView 8 places
Alma D Glamzi, MdMapEric Lauer, Pa-cMapFranciscan Medical Clinic on Point FosdickMapGregory M Ennis, MdMapKiDS 0 to 18 Integrative PediatricsMapLisa Katon, Dnp, Arnp, Fnp, PmhnpMapMary K. O'Brien, MDMapMaude Gibbs, MdMapExplore all clinics and urgent care in MapsOpen
Pharmacies17 listedView 8 places
Bartell Drugs #395500 OLYMPIC DR · GIG HARBOR, WA 98335-1487MapBond Enterprises Inc4700 POINT FOSDICK DR NW STE 120 · GIG HARBOR, WA 98335-1706MapCostco Wholesale Corporation10990 HARBOR HILL DR NW · GIG HARBOR, WA 98332MapCvs Pharmacy #116734818 POINT FOSDICK DRIVE NORTHWEST · HARBOR PLAZA · GIG HARBOR, WA 98335-1711MapCvs Pharmacy #1656011400 51ST AVE NW · GIG HARBOR, WA 98332-7891MapFranciscan Pharmacy - St Anthony11511 CANTERWOOD BLVD NW · STE 220 · GIG HARBOR, WA 98332-5813MapFranciscan Pharmacy St Anthony11511 CANTERWOOD BLVD STE 220 · GIG HARBOR, WA 98332-5818MapFred Meyer Pharmacy #6915502 POINT FOSDICK DR NW · GIG HARBOR, WA 98335-1725MapExplore all pharmacies in MapsOpen
Coffee15 listedView 8 places
The Cup Coffee LoungeMapCutters Point CoffeeMapCutters Point UptownMapDavenport Coffee ShopMapDevoted Kiss CafeMapGig Harbor MarKeeMapThe Harbor General StoreMapThe Harbor KitchenMapExplore all coffee in MapsOpen
Fitness11 listedView 8 places
Anytime FitnessMapBetter.MapCrossFit Gig HarborMapGRAND Nutrition Co.MapMaitri Movement and MeditationMapMantra Hot YogaMapOrangetheory FitnessMapSantosha Yoga PnwMapExplore all fitness in MapsOpen
Groceries4 listedView all
AlbertsonsMapHarbor GreensMapPacific Harbor TradingMapSafewayMapExplore all groceries in MapsOpen
Convenience2 listedView all
ChevronMapCVS Pharmacy inside Target StoreMapExplore all convenience in MapsOpen
Restaurants86 listedView 8 places
A Millroad Home IncMapA Small Specialty, LLCMapA Taste of PeruMapAfc SushiMapAnthony's at Gig HarborMapApplebee'sMapB.a.n.g. Development LtdMapBBQ2UMapExplore all restaurants in MapsOpen
Salons and barbers47 listedView 8 places
A. Nice SalonMapAlexei SalonMapAmadora SalonMapAvanti SalonMapBlonde Culture SalonMapDeVita Organic SalonMapErica 6 StyleMapEsthetics by ElyseMapExplore all salons and barbers in MapsOpen

Counts reflect current directory records associated with the city, not a complete business census or a measure of access. Large categories show a sample.

Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), snapshot 2026-08-13; Overture Maps Foundation, release 2026-08-19.0; U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (NPPES NPI Registry), snapshot 2026-09-09.

Public library footprint

Gig Harbor Library

Floor area shows the scale of the physical branches. Physical circulation is 2024 checkouts—not visits, unique users, or digital borrowing—and people routinely use libraries across city lines.

Branch floor area
15,500 sq ft

All matched branches must report floor area before a city total is shown.

Physical checkouts
409,170

Annual branch activity; not limited to city residents. All matched branches must report before a city total is shown.

Gig Harbor LibraryPierce County Library System
15,500 sq ft409,170 physical checkouts64 scheduled hours/week

Source: Washington State Library public-library statistics, 2024. System-wide visits, digital circulation, and program attendance cannot be assigned honestly to one branch, so they are not folded into these city totals.

Education footprint

The schools inside Gig Harbor.

Institution counts and enrollment will remain separate. A school can serve students from outside the city, and residents may attend a school across the boundary or elsewhere in their district.

Public elementary3
  • Discovery Elementary School (Gig Harbor)Peninsula School District
  • Pioneer Elementary School (Gig Harbor)Peninsula School District
  • Swift Water Elementary SchoolPeninsula School District
Public middle1
  • Harbor Ridge Middle SchoolPeninsula School District
Public high2
  • Gig Harbor High SchoolPeninsula School District
  • Henderson Bay Alt High SchoolPeninsula School District
Other public programs0

None in the current OSPI city-boundary match.

College and university campuses
Tacoma Community College Gig HarborPublic college satellite campus

Public-school names and levels come from OSPI. Private schools, complete IPEDS college coverage, enrollment by level, and graduate destinations are active additions; absence here should not yet be read as “none.”

Retail role

Gig Harbor has an unusually large retail economy for its population.

Retail sales per resident rank among the 95% highest of the cities tracked by Metroscope. That is consistent with a city serving shoppers from beyond its borders, although sales records do not reveal where customers live.

Retail sales per resident, 2024
$40,477

Higher than 95% of 82 tracked cities.

Change from 2023
−1%

Nominal retail-sales change; inflation can account for some or all of an increase.

See the underlying sales totals
Retail trade, 2024
$531.9M

Sales reported by businesses classified in retail trade.

All taxable sales
$1.0B

Includes taxable activity outside retail trade.

Retail share
53%

Retailing industries’ share of all taxable sales.

Tracked-city median
$10,670

Median retail sales per resident across cities with comparable data.

Civic life

In Gig Harbor, voters directly choose who runs City Hall.

Gig Harbor voters elect the mayor separately from the council. The mayor leads city administration, while the council adopts laws, policy, and the budget—so executive accountability sits directly with an elected office.

Government form
Mayor–Council

The mayor is separately elected to lead administration.

Mayor listed
Mary Barber

The separately elected chief executive.

Council representatives listed
7

Current directory entries; vacancies or updates can make this differ from authorized seats.

Incorporated
1946

Code city under Washington law.

Where decisions happen

When does the Gig Harbor council meet?

Regular meeting schedule listed in the current municipal directory:

2nd & 4th Mon - 5:30pm

Schedules change and special meetings are separate. Check the city site for the live agenda, staff reports, public-comment rules, and video.

Official city site ↗Current officials directory ↗
Election record

Where to check Gig Harbor election results.

Regular municipal offices generally return in 2027. Special measures can appear earlier, and charter provisions can differ.

The next data step is city-specific turnout, contested-seat share, ballot measures, and campaign money. Until those are normalized, Metroscope links the official record instead of guessing from partisan elections.

Structure, meetings, and current officials: Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC), checked 2026-09-08. Election administration and certified results: the county election offices listed above. Confirm live agendas and officeholders at the source.

Change

What is changing the city’s trajectory?

Population and jobs do not always move together. Reading both helps distinguish a growing employment center from a city whose households are increasingly tied to opportunities elsewhere.

Residents
13,140

8% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs
10,472

7% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024
−1%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places
Local jobs
LODES
10,472
1,506656,821
Higher than only 47% of places
Long-run job change
LODES
+67%
−3%+166%
Higher than 83% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
876
19256,385
Higher than only 19% of places
Multifamily permitting
Census BPS
Near a 15-year low
Recent annual pace compared with this city's own 2010–2025 record
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD, county-level
$2,064
FY2027 HUD program benchmark; chart shows FY2020–FY2027 history. Shared across this HUD metro area—not a place-specific market rent.
Work — sector breakdown
Share of local jobs by sector · LODES · workplace location, not resident industry
Healthcare & Social Assistance19% (1,996)
Retail18% (1,893)
Hospitality18% (1,846)
Administrative & Support Services12% (1,248)
Construction / Real Estate7% (698)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)6% (660)
Other6% (590)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)4% (427)
Finance3% (341)
Information (partial technology proxy)2% (246)
Logistics / Industrial2% (222)
Education (includes academia/research)2% (185)
Government (Public Administration)1% (120)
Where Gig Harbor's workforce lives (inbound)
LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs
Tacoma
25.6%
Gig Harbor
11.2%
University Place
5.9%
Seattle
5.8%
Bremerton
5.3%