Tacoma, Washington
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Tacoma.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Tacoma compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 220,482City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $83,857Incorporated place (ACS)7% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 134ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)34% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $454,600City limits (ACS)50% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,597City limits (ACS)18% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.2%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 30 min20% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 5420% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 845.2annualized per 100k · citywide40% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 5220.7annualized per 100k · citywide69% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 74°F13.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 36°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 42 in28% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 19726% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Tacoma with another city
Gray winters west of the Cascades and dry inland basins split lifestyles. Expect summer highs near 74°F and winter lows around 36°F. Average one-way commute time is about 30 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 54/100. Labor-market readings near 5.2% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~845.2 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Relocators eyeing Tacoma, Washington will find roughly 220,482 residents within city limits. With median income around $83,857 and a cost index of 134, the market reads above the national housing-cost baseline. Budget for median rents around $1,597 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Tacoma is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Tacoma with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Tacoma city, 1600000US5370000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN530530000000003 (Pierce County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00094274 TACOMA NARROWS AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28