01
The employers behind the economy
Steilacoom is planning for homes, not a new employment center.
Steilacoom contains 713 workplace jobs. Education accounts for 54% of them. Hospitality is next at 11%.
The town’s 2044 plan provides capacity for 190 additional homes but only 10 additional jobs. Existing work is concentrated in schools, municipal services, food, small retail, real estate, and household finance, so regional job access will remain more important to residents than local employer recruitment.
Workplace jobs: 2023
02
The city’s regional role
Steilacoom has one workplace job for every 9.7 residents.
Steilacoom has 0.10 workplace jobs per resident—713 jobs for 6,890 people. Tacoma is the largest observed outside destination for resident workers.
That makes regional access an economic issue: an employer change or a slower commute elsewhere can matter more than activity in Steilacoom’s own business district.
Jobs and workplace flows: 2023 · population: 2026
03
The commute that shapes the city
Tacoma matters more to Steilacoom’s workday than its own city line does.
26% of observed resident job destinations are in Tacoma, followed by Lakewood at 17%. Only 4% are inside Steilacoom.
Current GTFS schedules 309 weekday stop departures at 19 stops inside Steilacoom; 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 commercial pulse
Steilacoom’s taxable sales rose 15% to $75.0M.
Taxable sales totaled $75.0M, 15% higher than the previous year. Retail trade produced 36% of that total.
Steilacoom’s 15% increase can reflect new stores, construction, visitors, inflation, or more local spending. The next release will show whether the $75.0M total is durable.
Washington taxable sales, 2024
