Washington > Pierce County > University Place
University Place, WA
Pierce County · population ~36,490
Population
36,490
↑ 17% since 2010
Jobs
6,419
↑ 17% since 2010
Renters
43%
↓ 2pp since 2009
Median income
$99,031
↑ 87% since 2009 (nominal)
Overview
People
Work
Housing
Mobility
Life
Change
Compare
What stands out
- 1Renter-occupied housing outnumbers owner-occupied more than is typical here (57% owner-occupied vs. a regional median of 68%).
- 231% of the people who work in University Place commute in from a single place (Tacoma) — the largest single commuting relationship measured here.
Key facts
Population
36,490
Jobs
6,419
Renters
43%
Median income
$99,031
Nearby places
Straight-line distance, not drive time
The story so far
Local job base moved from 5,482 in 2010 to 6,419 by 2023, with the pace of change shifting noticeably around 2014 (+0.2%/year before, +1.6%/year after). That trend is still underway as of the most recent data. Family-household share has risen 2 percentage points since 2009 (64% to 66% by 2024) — measured across non-overlapping ACS survey windows to avoid over-reading a single year's release.
Local jobs, 2010–2023
The numbers
Each row: the current value, its trend over time, and where it falls among all 82 places we cover.
Family households
ACS 5-yr
66.4%
higher than 65% of places
Owner-occupied
ACS 5-yr
57.2%
higher than only 39% of places
Local jobs
LODES
6,419
higher than only 21% of places
Job growth since 2010
LODES
17%
higher than only 19% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
2,428
higher than only 47% of places
Tesla share of local EVs
WA DOL
37%
higher than only 28% of places
Multifamily permitting
Census BPS
85th pctl
vs. this place's own 2010–2025 permitting history (not a cross-place comparison)
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD, county-level
$2,064
FY2020 → FY2027, shared across this HUD metro area — not place-specific
Housing mix
ACS 5-yr — current housing stock, not new permits
Single-family74%
Multifamily (5+ units)26%
Where University Place's workforce lives
LODES OD — commuting flows
Tacoma
30.7%
University Place
22.5%
Lakewood
10.2%
Puyallup
3.7%
Seattle
3.4%
Life
per place — WA OSPI, OpenStreetMap
Parks36
Schools8
Grocery stores4
Hospitals0
Libraries1
Nearest community site: Olympic View Baptist Church (Churches), 0.21 km
Work
Share of local jobs by sector · LODES · workplace location, not resident industry
Healthcare & Social Assistance20% (1,273)
Retail18% (1,155)
Education (includes academia/research)15% (950)
Hospitality13% (816)
Construction / Real Estate7% (456)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)6% (378)
Administrative & Support Services6% (354)
Government (Public Administration)5% (316)
Other4% (238)
Finance3% (199)
Logistics / Industrial3% (194)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)1% (45)
Information (partial technology proxy)1% (45)