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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-GIG-HARBOR-WA · Gig Harbor, WA 12,202 pop · income 81st pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Gig Harbor
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Gig Harbor on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
McComb · lowest
40,515
McComb · lowest
40,515 median HH income
27.3% of the leader · rank #1
Chatham · near
106,030
Chatham · near
106,030 median HH income
71.4% of the leader · rank #2
Tiffin · near
106,034
Tiffin · near
106,034 median HH income
71.4% of the leader · rank #3
Gig Harbor · this city
106,042
Gig Harbor · this city
106,042 median HH income
71.4% of the leader · rank #4
Double Spring · near
106,042
Double Spring · near
106,042 median HH income
71.4% of the leader · rank #5
Cumberland He… · near
106,048
Cumberland He… · near
106,048 median HH income
71.4% of the leader · rank #6
Rosaryville · highest
148,558
Rosaryville · highest
148,558 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Gig Harbor on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 12,202.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Gig Harbor - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Gig Harbor places in the 81st percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
81st
percentile, household income
92nd
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
14th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Gig Harbor, WA
Gig Harbor is a small town in Washington, home to 12,202 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Gig Harbor brings in $106,042 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.6%. Gig Harbor's housing stock carries a median value of $686,000, and the median resident age is 47.6 years. 50.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 23 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 74% from five years earlier. Gig Harbor's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 3167.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Washington at 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,472 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Washington run around $188, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. The average commute for Gig Harbor workers runs 23.9 minutes, with 69.6% driving alone and 17.6% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Gig Harbor's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to housing and income to population change to work and mobility to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Gig Harbor, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Gig Harbor?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3167.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
How far does income reach against housing in Gig Harbor?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Is Gig Harbor growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +542 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 23 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Which cities make useful reference points for Gig Harbor?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Washington, the closest population matches are East Renton Highlands (12,241 residents, $140,048 income); Minnehaha (12,080 residents, $108,203 income); Prairie Ridge (12,054 residents, $110,795 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are McComb, MS (12,202 residents); Monfort Heights, OH (12,203 residents); Rosaryville, MD (12,206 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Gig Harbor?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 23.9 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
69.6%
Work from home
17.6%
Public transit
1.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 5,200 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for Gig Harbor?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 15 public schools within the city match. 50.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
5.6%
Bachelor's degree+
50.6%
Matched public schools
15
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A-
50.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income A-
$106,042
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime D
203 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
107.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Gig Harbor profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 84/100 (A-) · 50.6%
Household income: 80/100 (A-) · $106,042
Poverty rate: 62/100 (C+) · 5.6%
Violent crime: 47/100 (D) · 203 /100k
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where Gig Harbor sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Gig Harbor's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Gig Harbor highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Gig Harbor, WA (this city): home $686,000, crime 3,168/100k
Choctaw, OK : home $223,900, crime 1,379/100k
Milford, DE : home $274,600, crime 4,441/100k
Washington, IN : home $130,700, crime 742/100k
Liberty Lake, WA : home $506,000, crime 1,682/100k
Poulsbo, WA : home $574,900, crime 1,847/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Gig Harbor compare to other US cities?
Here's how Gig Harbor stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income81% higher than other cities
Home value92% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety14% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Washington and the picture shifts: Gig Harbor ranks #118 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Gig Harbor against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Washington only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Washington-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Gig Harbor near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Gig Harbor ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Gig Harbor only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#162 of 565
71st percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#88 of 565
84th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#297 of 598
50th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#68 of 599
89th percentile in Washington
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Washington only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
81st percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Gig Harbor's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Gig Harbor's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Gig Harbor's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$686,0008th percentilemore affordable than 8% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Gig Harbor's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,427 of 15,516
More affordable than 7% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,041 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 6.5×, Gig Harbor sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,427 of 15,516 and #3,041 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$106,042Gig Harbor, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Gig Harbor, WA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Gig Harbor, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)50.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,202
Median Income
$106,042
Median Home Value
$686,000
Median Age
47.6
Poverty Rate
5.6%
Labor force participation
52.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3167.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
203.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2964.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
15
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Gig Harbor's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,088 residents
2021
12,249 residents
2022
12,510 residents
2023
12,596 residents
2024
12,626 residents
2025
12,630 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
23
housing units authorized
Single-Family
23
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
88
88
0
$29.1M
2020
120
112
8
$37.0M
2021
228
228
0
$55.7M
2022
125
125
0
$38.3M
2023
12
10
2
$4.5M
2024
23
23
0
$10.2M
Permit volume decreased 74% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
23.9 minutes
Drive Alone
69.6%
Carpool
6.9%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
3.6%
Work from Home
17.6%
Other
1.3%
Based on 5,200 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Washington statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $188
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Washington at $188 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $55 ).
These are Washington statewide averages, not a meter reading for Gig Harbor. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Washington's BEA cost-of-living index is 107.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Gig Harbor is $1,472/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Washington statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Washington statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Gig Harbor sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Gig Harbor compares to similar-size Washington cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.