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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-PUYALLUP-WA · Puyallup, WA 42,642 pop · income 75th 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 Puyallup
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Puyallup on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Lake Worth Be… · lowest
60,978
Lake Worth Be… · lowest
60,978 median HH income
39.7% of the leader · rank #1
North Druid H… · near
95,612
North Druid H… · near
95,612 median HH income
62.2% of the leader · rank #2
Trinity · near
95,625
Trinity · near
95,625 median HH income
62.2% of the leader · rank #3
Limestone · near
95,625
Limestone · near
95,625 median HH income
62.2% of the leader · rank #4
Puyallup · this city
95,639
Puyallup · this city
95,639 median HH income
62.2% of the leader · rank #5
Blucksberg Mo… · near
95,658
Blucksberg Mo… · near
95,658 median HH income
62.2% of the leader · rank #6
Issaquah · highest
153,786
Issaquah · highest
153,786 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 Puyallup 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: 42,642.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Puyallup - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Puyallup places in the 75th percentile for household income and the 6th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
75th
percentile, household income
85th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
6th
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: Puyallup, WA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 42,642 residents in Puyallup, a small city within Washington. Households in Puyallup report a median income of $95,639 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 4.7%. Puyallup's housing stock carries a median value of $507,000, and the median resident age is 37.2 years. 28.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 63.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 41 residential building permits were authorized in Puyallup (Construction Slowdown), down 67% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Puyallup's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 4243.6 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). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,472 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Washington's average monthly utility costs around $188 (state average). Workers in Puyallup report an average commute of 28.1 minutes, with 75.5% driving alone and 10.7% 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 Puyallup'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Puyallup, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, annual population history, local building permits.
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 Puyallup?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 4243.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 86% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Puyallup?
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 Edmonds (42,783 residents, $116,095 income); Lynnwood (40,953 residents, $76,439 income); Bremerton (44,531 residents, $74,399 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Vineyard, CA (42,645 residents); Lake Worth Beach, FL (42,650 residents); San Bruno, CA (42,612 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Puyallup?
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 5.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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 35 public schools within the city match. 28.3% 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.
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 Puyallup?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 28.1 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. 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.
Drive alone
75.5%
Work from home
10.7%
Public transit
2.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 21,268 workers age 16+.
Is Puyallup growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -346 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 41 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
2020 estimate
43,028
2025 estimate
42,682
Period change
-0.8%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 4.7% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Washington average
D
City profile score · Puyallup, WA
48/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
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.
Household income B+
$95,639
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C
28.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
375 /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.
Puyallup profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 75/100 (B+) · $95,639
Poverty rate: 67/100 (B-) · 4.7%
Bachelor's+ share: 55/100 (C) · 28.3%
Violent crime: 24/100 (F) · 375 /100k
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where Puyallup sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Puyallup'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 - Puyallup highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Puyallup, WA (this city): home $507,000, crime 4,244/100k
San Bruno, CA : home $1,199,400, crime 2,222/100k
Manassas, VA : home $434,700, crime 2,180/100k
Coachella, CA : home $341,300, crime 1,840/100k
Edmonds, WA : home $840,200, crime 3,261/100k
Lynnwood, WA : home $635,800, crime 6,329/100k
Bremerton, WA : home $409,500, crime 3,249/100k
Lake Stevens, WA : home $593,900, crime 766/100k
How does Puyallup compare to other US cities?
Here's how Puyallup stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income75% higher than other cities
Home value85% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety6% 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: Puyallup ranks #137 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 Puyallup 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 Puyallup near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Puyallup ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Puyallup only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#215 of 565
62nd percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#188 of 565
67th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#331 of 598
44th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#256 of 599
57th 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
75th percentile nationally for median household income · 6th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Puyallup's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Puyallup'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 Puyallup's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$507,00015th percentilemore affordable than 15% 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
Puyallup's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,323 of 15,516
More affordable than 14% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,742 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 5.3×, Puyallup sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,323 of 15,516 and #2,742 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
$95,639Puyallup, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Puyallup, 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 Puyallup, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)28.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
42,642
Median Income
$95,639
Median Home Value
$507,000
Median Age
37.2
Poverty Rate
4.7%
Labor force participation
63.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
28.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4243.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
374.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3868.9
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
35
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Puyallup's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
43,028 residents
2021
43,013 residents
2022
42,691 residents
2023
42,436 residents
2024
42,446 residents
2025
42,682 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
41
housing units authorized
Single-Family
10
detached homes
Multifamily
31
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
123
71
52
$27.4M
2020
102
102
0
$41.1M
2021
103
101
2
$35.6M
2022
66
62
4
$17.0M
2023
16
11
5
$6.2M
2024
41
10
31
$12.2M
Permit volume decreased 67% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
28.1 minutes
Drive Alone
75.5%
Carpool
9.4%
Public Transit
2.2%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
10.7%
Other
0.8%
Based on 21,268 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 Puyallup. 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 Puyallup 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 Puyallup sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Puyallup 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.