City profile · Washington · Census ACS 2023

Fort Lewis, WA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fort Lewis - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

13,983
Residents
$54,902
Median income
$1,960
Median rent (state)

Fort Lewis - the verdict

Nationally, Fort Lewis sits in the 27th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

27th
percentile, household income
81st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Fort Lewis, WA

13,983 people live in Fort Lewis, Washington - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $54,902 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 16.0%. The median resident age is 23.0 years. About 22.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 17.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Washington scores 107.0 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,960 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Washington run around $188, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 94.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).

Population

13,983 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Washington

Median Household Income

$54,902 /yr

Poverty 16.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

107.0 (US=100)

Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Washington average

How does Fort Lewis compare to other US cities?

Where Fort Lewis sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 27% higher than other cities
Median rent 81% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Fort Lewis's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Washington, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

27thIncome percentile

27th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Fort Lewis, WA Fort Lewis, WA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Fort Lewis, WA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Fort Lewis, WA median $54,902/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Fort Lewis, WA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Fort Lewis, WA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 22.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 16.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 17.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
13,983
Median Income
$54,902
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
23.0
Poverty Rate
16.0%
Labor force participation
17.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.5%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
61.1%
Carpool
15.1%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
20.2%
Work from Home
2.9%

Based on 8,216 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Washington - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$85
avg/month
Natural Gas
$48
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$55
avg/month
Total Utilities
$188
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Washington state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Washington state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Fort Lewis sits in

Cost of Living Index
107.0
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,960/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
94.5 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Washington

Artondale
14,051 people
Elk Plain
13,863 people
East Wenatchee
14,114 people
Snoqualmie
13,750 people
Bothell East
14,487 people
Woodinville
13,440 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Lewis's 13,983 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Greenwood, MS
13,983 people
Beach Park, IL
13,988 people
Sharonville, OH
13,989 people
College Park, GA
13,969 people
Forest Park, IL
14,000 people
Roselle Park, NJ
13,965 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Lewis's $54,902 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Lancaster, OH
$54,901 median income
Franklin, MN
$54,904 median income
Pine Crest, TN
$54,900 median income
Bradenville, PA
$54,896 median income
Addison, AL
$54,911 median income
Ethridge, TN
$54,911 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Fort Lewis, WA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Fort Lewis, WA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 53.5% 15.2% 15.7% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 25.6% White 53.5% Black or African American 15.2% Asian 3.8% American Indian 1.1% Native Hawaiian 5.5% Some other race 5.2% Two or more races 15.7% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Fort Lewis compares to nearby Washington cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Fort Lewis (this city) 13,983 $54,902
Artondale 14,051 $156,908
Elk Plain 13,863 $101,250
East Wenatchee 14,114 $81,050
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WA OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Fort Lewis, WA?

What is the population of Fort Lewis, WA? +

13,983 people live in Fort Lewis, WA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Fort Lewis, WA? +

The median household income in Fort Lewis is $54,902 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Fort Lewis? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Fort Lewis; the closest available measure is the Washington state average, a cost of living index of 107.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Washington vary by metro area.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.