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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-PULLMAN-WA · Pullman, WA 31,939 pop · income 13th pct · 12 tracts
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 Pullman
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Pullman on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Ringgold · lowest
45,083
Ringgold · lowest
45,083 median HH income
27.5% of the leader · rank #1
Pullman · this city
45,097
Pullman · this city
45,097 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #2
Marathon · near
45,100
Marathon · near
45,100 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #3
Bowling Green · near
45,101
Bowling Green · near
45,101 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #4
Wrightsville · near
45,104
Wrightsville · near
45,104 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #5
Poplar · near
45,104
Poplar · near
45,104 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #6
Erie · highest
163,644
Erie · highest
163,644 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 Pullman 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: 31,939.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Pullman - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Pullman lands in the 13th percentile for household income and the 66th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
13th
percentile, household income
77th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
66th
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: Pullman, WA
31,939 people live in Pullman, Washington - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Pullman households earn a median of $45,097 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 12.1%. Typical homes in Pullman are valued around $401,700, and the median resident age is 22.8 years. Educational attainment runs 62.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 59.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 17 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 96% from five years earlier. Pullman reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 951.5 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 48.2°F with 20.4 inches of precipitation per year and 32.7 inches of snowfall.
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. 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 Pullman workers runs 12.9 minutes, with 57.8% driving alone and 9.8% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 70.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Pullman'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 housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation to climate and hazard context to schools and households to population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Pullman, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Pullman?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Pullman?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 951.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 58% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 12 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Pullman?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Des Moines (32,545 residents, $89,787 income); SeaTac (31,143 residents, $76,517 income); Walla Walla (33,766 residents, $65,493 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Milford Mill, MD (31,939 residents); Opelika, AL (31,944 residents); Erie, CO (31,927 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.
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.
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.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Pullman?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 48.2°F, with 20.4 inches of precipitation and 32.7 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Washington is 70.0 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
48.2°F
Annual precipitation
20.4 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
70.0
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 62.5% 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.
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.
Matched public schools
7
Bachelor's degree+
62.5%
Poverty estimate
12.1%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +892 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 17 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+2.7%
2025 estimate
33,756
2020 estimate
32,864
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the journey to work look like in Pullman?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 57.8%. The reported mean trip to work is 12.9 minutes.
Public transit
4.8%
Work from home
9.8%
Drive alone
57.8%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 16,570 workers age 16+.
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+
62.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime C+
130 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
12.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better 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.
Household income F
$45,097
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Pullman profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 93/100 (A+) · 62.5%
Violent crime: 63/100 (C+) · 130 /100k
Poverty rate: 31/100 (F) · 12.1%
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Household income: 14/100 (F) · $45,097
Where Pullman sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Pullman'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 - Pullman highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Pullman, WA (this city): home $401,700, crime 952/100k
Opelika, AL : home $213,700, crime 3,185/100k
Erie, CO : home $685,900, crime 926/100k
Beverly Hills, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 4,951/100k
Duluth, GA : home $366,000, crime 1,363/100k
Seaside, CA : home $692,600, crime 1,346/100k
Des Moines, WA : home $539,800, crime 3,146/100k
SeaTac, WA : home $483,200, crime 4,354/100k
Walla Walla, WA : home $356,600, crime 2,498/100k
University Place, WA : home $578,100, crime 2,160/100k
How does Pullman compare to other US cities?
Where Pullman sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income13% higher than other cities
Home value77% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety66% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Washington alone, Pullman ranks #30 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Pullman 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 Pullman near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Pullman ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Pullman only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#534 of 565
5th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#303 of 565
46th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#117 of 598
80th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#27 of 599
95th 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
13th percentile nationally for median household income · 66th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Pullman's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Pullman'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 Pullman's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$401,70023rd percentilemore affordable than 23% 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
Pullman's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,227 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,246 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 8.9×, Pullman sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,227 of 15,516 and #3,246 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
$45,097Pullman, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Pullman, 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 Pullman, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)62.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)12.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
31,939
Median Income
$45,097
Median Home Value
$401,700
Median Age
22.8
Poverty Rate
12.1%
Labor force participation
59.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
62.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
951.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
129.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
821.6
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
48.2°F
Annual Precipitation
20.4"
Annual Snowfall
32.7"
Schools
Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Pullman's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
32,864 residents
2021
28,650 residents
2022
32,925 residents
2023
32,956 residents
2024
33,207 residents
2025
33,756 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
17
housing units authorized
Single-Family
13
detached homes
Multifamily
4
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
388
101
287
$72.5M
2020
49
41
8
$11.6M
2021
358
47
311
$65.0M
2022
246
46
200
$38.9M
2023
218
20
198
$29.8M
2024
17
13
4
$6.0M
Permit volume decreased 96% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
12.9 minutes
Drive Alone
57.8%
Carpool
9.8%
Public Transit
4.8%
Walk
14.7%
Work from Home
9.8%
Other
3.1%
Based on 16,570 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 Pullman. 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 Pullman 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 Pullman sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Pullman 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.