Tacoma, Washington Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Tacoma, WA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 222,093 | 7,801,159 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3557.3 | 109.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.02% | 1.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 92,848 | 3,058,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Tacoma grew by 14.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 222,093 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Tacoma is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.3% of residents. That is 2.0 points above Washington as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 49,816 22.4% +1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 56,218 25.3% +2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 43,406 19.5% on par
- Boomers 61–79 33,016 14.9% -1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Washington, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.2% of the people living in Tacoma and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Washington 49.7%
- Men 49.8% Washington 50.3%
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Economy
Tacoma has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,727 | $98,224 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.06% | 5.64% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Tacoma is about 12% lower than in Washington.
Housing
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $508,324 | $485,016 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,666 | $1,759 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.5% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Tacoma is about 25.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,666 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Tacoma spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 190 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.8 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.7 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 190 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,899 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.0% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 22,640 | 10,119 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,110 | 1,525 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Tacoma is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Washington.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Tacoma has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.4% | 35.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Health
Tacoma has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Tacoma | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.5% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.3% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Tacoma, Washington.
What is the population of Tacoma, Washington?
About 222,093 people live in Tacoma, Washington, in 92,848 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Tacoma, Washington urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Tacoma, Washington has 3,557 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 41 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Tacoma, Washington?
The median home costs 5.9 times the median household income ($508,324 against $86,727), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,666 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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