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Pierce County · Washington

Tacoma, WA

4 higher-education institutions make campuses part of Tacoma’s economy.

Population

231,000

6% more from 2021 to 2026

Family households

58.0%

±1 points at 90% confidence

Local jobs

125,202

9% more from 2018 to 2023

Median income

$85,884

±$1,903 at 90% confidence

City overview

The forces shaping Tacoma now.

A campus city

4 higher-education institutions make campuses part of Tacoma’s economy.

58% of households are estimated to be families. University of Washington Tacoma, University of Puget Sound, and 2 other institutions add a postsecondary population that is not visible in the public-school count.

Tacoma’s campuses change demand by hour and season: transit, rentals, and inexpensive food matter in ways an office count misses. Enrollment at University of Washington Tacoma and University of Puget Sound, plus 2 more will show the scale.

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

The trajectory

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

Tacoma’s population rose 6% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 9% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

Growth on both sides of Tacoma’s workday can support a fuller local economy, provided new homes and transportation keep workers within reach of the 125,202 jobs already located there.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023

A more local workday

34% of observed Tacoma resident jobs stay inside the city—the local share is unusually large.

34% of observed resident job destinations are in Tacoma; Seattle is the largest outside destination at 14%.

Tacoma’s 34% local-work share creates the possibility of shorter trips, but only if homes and jobs connect within the city. Its boundary does not guarantee a walkable or transit-friendly commute.

Workplace-flow data, 2023

The local economic engine

Healthcare is Tacoma’s largest industry, at 24% of local jobs.

Tacoma contains 125,202 workplace jobs. Healthcare accounts for 24% of them. Administrative & Support Services is next at 11%.

Hospital capacity, shift-worker transportation, and health-sector hiring will affect Tacoma more directly than a conventional office cycle.

Workplace jobs: 2023

The housing divide

Housing costs consume too much income for 55% of Tacoma’s renters.

55% of measured renter households are cost-burdened, compared with 29% of measured owners. 44% of occupied homes are rentals.

Tacoma’s 26-point burden gap makes rental availability a distinct question, not a footnote to citywide affordability.

ACS 2024 five-year estimates

People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 2.3 people. 58% are estimated to be family households, while 32% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size

2.3

±0.0 people at 90% confidence

Median age

37.2

±0.5 years at 90% confidence

Living alone

32%

±1 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+

35%

Among residents age 25 and older. ±1 points at 90% confidence

Population composition

Who lives here

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

White, non-Hispanic56% ±1 pts

Hispanic / Latino, any race14% ±0.8 pts

Two or more races, non-Hispanic9.6% ±0.7 pts

Black, non-Hispanic9.3% ±0.8 pts

Cambodian1.9% ±0.4 pts

Vietnamese1.9% ±0.4 pts

Filipino1.8% ±0.3 pts

Korean1.2% ±0.2 pts

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.9% ±0.2 pts

American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.8% ±0.2 pts

Chinese, except Taiwanese0.6% ±0.1 pts

Another race, non-Hispanic0.6% ±0.1 pts

Two or more Asian groups0.4% ±0.2 pts

Japanese0.3% ±0.1 pts

Laotian0.3% ±0.2 pts

Thai0.3% ±0.2 pts

Asian Indian0.2% ±0.1 pts

Afghan0.2% ±0.2 pts

Burmese0.1% ±0.1 pts

Other Asian, not specified<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Nepalese<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Taiwanese<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Indonesian<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Bangladeshi<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Pakistani<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Hmong<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Uzbek<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Other Southeast Asian<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Sikh<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

0% published estimate: Mongolian, Okinawan, Other East Asian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Bhutanese, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Kazakh, 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: Tacoma 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 24% of jobs located in Tacoma. The city’s job base changed +25% between 2010 and 2023.

Housing

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

56% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 44% rented. The estimates suggest 55% of renter households and 29% of owner households spend at least 30% of income on housing.

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$480k±5144.0 at 90% confidence

Middle half of homes$382k–$671kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates

Luxury-home concentration1%≈322 homes · estimated at $2M+

Under $500k56%

$500–749k29%

$750–999k11%

$1–1.49M4%

$1.5–1.99M0%

$2M+1%

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.

Owner-occupied

56%

±2 points at 90% confidence

Renter cost-burdened

55%

Spending 30% or more of income on gross rent. ±4 points at 90% confidence

Owner cost-burdened

29%

Spending 30% or more on selected owner costs. ±2 points at 90% confidence

Homes authorized, 2025

742

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

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 966 stops and 41,146 weekday stop departures inside Tacoma. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures

41,146

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

Transit stops

966

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

Top outside workplace

Seattle

14% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city

34%

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

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 Tacoma; 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.

Civic life

Tacoma uses one of Washington’s uncommon first-class city charters.

Tacoma 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

Anders Ibsen

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

Council representatives listed

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

Incorporated

1884

First city under Washington law.

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

231,000

6% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs

125,202

9% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024

−3%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places

Local jobs

LODES

125,202

Higher than 95% of places

Long-run job change

LODES

+25%

Higher than only 27% of places

Weekday transit departures

GTFS snapshot

41,146

Higher than 97% of places

Multifamily permitting

Census BPS

Slower 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 Assistance24% (30,215)

Administrative & Support Services11% (13,392)

Hospitality10% (12,264)

Government (Public Administration)9% (11,813)

Retail9% (11,651)

Logistics / Industrial9% (11,215)

Education (includes academia/research)6% (7,697)

Construction / Real Estate5% (5,981)

Professional Services (partial technology proxy)4% (5,634)

Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)4% (5,352)

Finance4% (4,821)

Other4% (4,677)

Information (partial technology proxy)0% (490)

Where Tacoma's workforce lives (inbound)

LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs

Tacoma

40.8%

Lakewood

7.2%

Seattle

5.9%

University Place

5.8%

Federal Way

5.0%

Tacoma, WA

The forces shaping Tacoma now.

4 higher-education institutions make campuses part of Tacoma’s economy.

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

34% of observed Tacoma resident jobs stay inside the city—the local share is unusually large.

Healthcare is Tacoma’s largest industry, at 24% of local jobs.

Housing costs consume too much income for 55% of Tacoma’s renters.

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

Who lives here

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

Jobs by sector

Historical employer snapshot

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

What owner-occupied homes are worth

The housing mix we can estimate confidently

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

Where resident workers go

How residents usually get to work

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

Community institutions and local activity

Places for everyday needs in Tacoma

8 public-library branches inside Tacoma

The schools inside Tacoma.

Tacoma supports more retail activity per resident than most regional cities.

Tacoma uses one of Washington’s uncommon first-class city charters.

When does the Tacoma council meet?

Where to check Tacoma election results.

What is changing the city’s trajectory?