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An editorial illustration of Puyallup, Washington
Pierce County · Washington

Puyallup, WA

Puyallup’s economy combines a hospital campus, schools, the state fair, and regional shopping.

Population
44,000
2% more from 2021 to 2026
Family households
62.6%
±3 points at 90% confidence
Local jobs
31,502
4% more from 2018 to 2023
Median income
$97,826
±$5,806 at 90% confidence
City overview

The forces shaping Puyallup now.

01
The employers behind the economy

Puyallup’s economy combines a hospital campus, schools, the state fair, and regional shopping.

Puyallup contains 31,502 workplace jobs. Healthcare accounts for 21% of them. Retail is next at 19%.

MultiCare’s approved Good Samaritan expansion could add as many as 200 hospital beds, while the school district reports 4,100 employees across a service area much larger than the city. Health care and education are major anchors, but the fairgrounds and retail districts create a visitor economy those job counts do not capture.

Workplace jobs: 2023
02
A campus city

Pierce College Puyallup and WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center make higher education part of Puyallup’s economy.

63% of households are estimated to be families. Pierce College Puyallup and WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center add a postsecondary population that is not visible in the public-school count.

Puyallup’s campuses change demand by hour and season: transit, rentals, and inexpensive food matter in ways an office count misses. Enrollment at Pierce College Puyallup and WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center will show the scale.

Households: ACS 2024 · public-school locations: OSPI 2025–26
03
The commute that shapes the city

17% of observed Puyallup resident jobs lead to Tacoma; only 14% stay local.

17% of observed resident job destinations are in Tacoma, followed by Seattle at 14%. Only 14% are inside Puyallup.

Current GTFS schedules 2,356 weekday stop departures at 110 stops inside Puyallup; 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
04
The trajectory

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

Puyallup’s population rose 2% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 4% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

Growth on both sides of Puyallup’s workday can support a fuller local economy, provided new homes and transportation keep workers within reach of the 31,502 jobs already located there.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023
People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 2.5 people. 63% are estimated to be family households, while 25% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size
2.5

±0.1 people at 90% confidence

Median age
36.5

±2.0 years at 90% confidence

Living alone
25%

±3 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+
29%

Among residents age 25 and older. ±3 points at 90% confidence

Population composition

Who lives here

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

White, non-Hispanic69% ±3 pts
Hispanic / Latino, any race11% ±1 pts
Two or more races, non-Hispanic8.8% ±2 pts
Black, non-Hispanic3.7% ±1 pts
Filipino1.9% ±0.7 pts
Asian Indian1.1% ±1 pts
Vietnamese0.9% ±0.5 pts
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.7% ±0.5 pts
Korean0.7% ±0.3 pts
Another race, non-Hispanic0.7% ±0.5 pts
Chinese, except Taiwanese0.5% ±0.4 pts
Cambodian0.3% ±0.2 pts
American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.3% ±0.2 pts
Two or more Asian groups0.2% ±0.2 pts
Japanese0.1% ±0.1 pts
Nepalese<0.1% ±0.1 pts
Laotian<0.1% ±<0.1 pt
Thai<0.1% ±<0.1 pt
Other Asian, not specified<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

0% published estimate: Hmong, Mongolian, Okinawan, Taiwanese, Other East Asian, Burmese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Other Southeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Pakistani, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Afghan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Other Central Asian, Other Asian, specified. 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
Puyallup 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 21% of jobs located in Puyallup. The city’s job base changed +46% between 2010 and 2023.

Jobs by sector

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

Healthcare & Social Assistance21%
Retail19%
Education (includes academia/research)14%
Hospitality11%
Logistics / Industrial10%

Verified employer anchors

Verified employers and employment institutions in Puyallup; district employment extends beyond city limits · Current or recent profile · Current institutional disclosures. The stated employer vintage is within the current two-year publication window.

MultiCare’s approved Good Samaritan expansion could add as many as 200 hospital beds, while the school district reports 4,100 employees across a service area much larger than the city. Health care and education are major anchors, but the fairgrounds and retail districts create a visitor economy those job counts do not capture.

MultiCare Good Samaritan HospitalHeadcount not published
Puyallup School District4,100 district-wide
Washington State FairHeadcount not published
Pierce College PuyallupHeadcount not published
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension CenterHeadcount not published
Fred Meyer Distribution CenterHeadcount not current

City of Puyallup economic-development pages and Puyallup School District ↗. Headcounts change faster than Census employment totals.

Housing

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

52% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 48% rented. The firmer current signal is construction intent: 333 homes were authorized in 2025, versus a recent pace of about 130 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$552k±19004.0 at 90% confidence
Middle half of homes$436k–$705kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates
Luxury-home concentration0%≈0 homes · estimated at $2M+
Under $500k42%
$500–749k41%
$750–999k14%
$1–1.49M3%
$1.5–1.99M0%
$2M+0%

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 houses56%
Attached houses3%
2–4 unit buildings12%
5+ unit buildings29%
Other<1%
Owner-occupied
52%

±4 points at 90% confidence

Owner cost-burdened
24%

Spending 30% or more on selected owner costs. ±4 points at 90% confidence

Homes authorized, 2025
333

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

Residential buildings, 2025
39

One building can contain one home or many housing units.

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 110 stops and 2,356 weekday stop departures inside Puyallup. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures
2,356

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

Transit stops
110

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

Top outside workplace
Tacoma

17% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city
14%

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

Where resident workers go

Top observed workplace destinations. 14% work inside Puyallup.

Tacoma17%
Peak drive: 30–60 min
Seattle14%
Peak drive: 60–110 min
Kent6%
Peak drive: 30–60 min
Auburn6%

The strongest outside connection is Tacoma. Employer or corridor changes there can alter everyday life in Puyallup, 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.

Drive alone
75%

Share of workers usually driving alone. ±5 points at 90% confidence

Work from home
13%

Share of workers usually working from home. ±2 points at 90% confidence

Use public transit
1.8%

Usual commute mode—not all transit trips. ±0.6 points at 90% confidence

Commute 45+ minutes
24%

Share of workers with a one-way commute of at least 45 minutes. ±3 points at 90% confidence

For someone choosing a home in Puyallup, 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 Puyallup—not live-traffic or door-to-door predictions.

Starting area
Tacoma employment area

Tacoma is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Puyallup, representing 14% of matched resident jobs from this city.

20–40 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.

Puyallup employment area

Puyallup is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Puyallup, representing 12% 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 Seattle employment core

Seattle is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Puyallup, representing 11% of matched resident jobs from this city.

65–120 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.

Kent employment area

Kent is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Puyallup, representing 5% of matched resident jobs from this city.

35–70 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 Puyallup; 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 Puyallup

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

Hospitals1 in cityView all
Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital401 15TH AVENUE SE · PUYALLUP, WA 98372 · Acute Care Hospitals · Emergency servicesMapExplore all hospitals nearby in MapsOpen
Clinics and urgent care31 listedView 8 places
Amador Loya MD | Kaiser PermanenteMapAmy Canada, MdMapAndrew Sledd MD | Kaiser PermanenteMapBrian Kim, MdMapEmber Medical ServicesMapEvergreen Children's ClinicMapGreater Story CounselingMapHorizonView HealthMapExplore all clinics and urgent care in MapsOpen
Pharmacies28 listedView 8 places
Costco Wholesale Corporation1201 39TH AVE SW · PUYALLUP, WA 98373MapCvs Pharmacy #116629502 176TH STREET EAST · PUYALLUP, WA 98375-9300MapCvs Pharmacy #161243310 S MERIDIAN · PUYALLUP, WA 98373-3777MapCvs Pharmacy #1721910302 156TH ST E · PUYALLUP, WA 98374-9321MapFred Meyer Pharmacy1100 N MERIDIAN · PUYALLUP, WA 98371-4403MapFred Meyer Pharmacy17404 MERIDIAN E · PUYALLUP, WA 98375-6234MapGood Samaritan Behavioral Health325 E PIONEER · PUYALLUP, WA 98372-3265MapKirk'S Pharmacy And Compounding618 S MERIDIAN · PUYALLUP, WA 98371-5999MapExplore all pharmacies in MapsOpen
Coffee35 listedView 8 places
39thMapAnthem Coffee CompanyMapBean Me UpMapBean TreeMapBigFoot JavaMapCafe AdamoMapCaffe AmoreMapCoffeezaun ExpressoMapExplore all coffee in MapsOpen
Fitness26 listedView 8 places
24 Hour FitnessMapArmstrong FitnessMapBally Total FitnessMapCompetitive EdgeMapCrossFit PuyallupMapFitness Quest PuyallupMapHot Yoga at the EdgeMapHOTWORX - Puyallup, WA - Shaw RdMapExplore all fitness in MapsOpen
Groceries15 listedView 8 places
Appa & Sons LlcMapForza Inside Top FoodsMapFred MeyerMapFred Meyer Dc Puyallup,waMapFred Meyer Stores Distribution CenterMapFrensius Medical CareMapHaggenMapJsh Enterprises IncMapExplore all groceries in MapsOpen
Convenience8 listedView all
7-ElevenMapDollar TreeMapExtraMileMapJacksons Food StoresMapPioneer GroceryMapPuyallup Shell FoodmartMapRite AidMapWossaMapExplore all convenience in MapsOpen
Restaurants133 listedView 8 places
3 AmigosMapA & W HamburgersMapAppethaizing Thai Food PuyallupMapApplebee'sMapArista PastaMapAyothayaMapBanda BurritoMapBangkok Thai RestaurantMapExplore all restaurants in MapsOpen
Salons and barbers96 listedView 8 places
2nd St. SalonMapAdmireMapAura Salon and SpaMapAveda Experience CenterMapBeauty Bar Salon and SpaMapBeauty SecretsMapBeyond the Brow Waxing StudioMapBloom by JuneMapExplore 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

Puyallup Public 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
39,500 sq ft

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

Physical checkouts
Not fully reported

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

Puyallup Public LibraryPuyallup Public Library
39,500 sq ftCirculation not reported56 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 Puyallup.

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 elementary9
  • Fruitland Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Karshner Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Maplewood Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Meeker Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
See all 9
  • Shaw Road Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Spinning Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Stewart Elementary SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Sunrise Elementary School (Puyallup)Puyallup School District
  • Wildwood Elementary School (Puyallup)Puyallup School District
Public middle3
  • Aylen Jr High SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Ferrucci Jr High SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Kalles Junior High SchoolPuyallup School District
Public high2
  • Puyallup High SchoolPuyallup School District
  • Puyallup Open Doors/PODPuyallup School District
Other public programs2
  • Puyallup Online Academy/POAPuyallup School District
  • Puyallup Parent Partnership ProgramPuyallup School District
College and university campuses
Pierce College PuyallupPublic four-year and community college
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension CenterUniversity research and extension center

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

Puyallup has an unusually large retail economy for its population.

Retail sales per resident rank among the 94% 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
$40,381

Higher than 94% of 82 tracked cities.

Change from 2023
−6%

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

See the underlying sales totals
Retail trade, 2024
$1.8B

Sales reported by businesses classified in retail trade.

All taxable sales
$2.9B

Includes taxable activity outside retail trade.

Retail share
61%

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 Puyallup, the council—not the mayor—hires the person who runs City Hall.

Puyallup voters elect the council, which hires a professional city manager to run administration. The mayor is selected from the council, so executive oversight works through the council rather than a separately elected chief executive.

Government form
Council–Manager

The elected council hires and oversees the city manager.

Mayor listed
Ned Witting

Generally selected from the council—not a separately elected executive.

Council representatives listed
7

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

Incorporated
1890

Code city under Washington law.

Where decisions happen

When does the Puyallup council meet?

Regular meeting schedule listed in the current municipal directory:

1st & 3rd Tue - 6:30pm

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 Puyallup 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
44,000

2% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs
31,502

4% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024
−6%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places
Local jobs
LODES
31,502
1,506656,821
Higher than 71% of places
Long-run job change
LODES
+46%
−3%+166%
Higher than 65% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
2,356
19256,385
Higher than only 45% of places
Multifamily permitting
Census BPS
Faster than usual
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 Assistance21% (6,626)
Retail19% (5,860)
Education (includes academia/research)14% (4,358)
Hospitality11% (3,459)
Logistics / Industrial10% (3,166)
Construction / Real Estate7% (2,339)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)5% (1,438)
Other4% (1,256)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)3% (836)
Finance2% (670)
Administrative & Support Services2% (634)
Information (partial technology proxy)2% (498)
Government (Public Administration)1% (362)
Where Puyallup's workforce lives (inbound)
LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs
Tacoma
20.8%
Puyallup
17.3%
Federal Way
5.6%
Lakewood
5.4%
Auburn
4.8%