HomeWashingtonPierce County
Pierce County, Washington: commercial real estate data.
Pierce County, Washington had an estimated 941,170 residents on July 1, 2024, up 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 921,162, across 1,670 square miles. County output reached $64.94 bn in 2024, 20,051 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,468 7(a) approvals worth $816.9 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Pierce County
How many people live in Pierce County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024930,319
- Households351,330
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$99,564
- Median age37.0
- Median gross rent$1,806 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$526,600
- Home value to household income5.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over635,580
- Population under 18214,038
- Share under 1823.0 percent
- Population 65 and over137,536
- Share 65 and over14.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64578,745
- Civilian labor force465,747
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.0 percent
- Rank by population among Washington counties2nd of 39
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included59th of 3,222
Pierce County is the 2nd largest of 39 Washington counties by population. A median home costs 5.3 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.0 percent against 14.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Pierce County
Is Pierce County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024941,170
- Census 2020 base population921,162
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.17 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20249,452
- Births, 202410,878
- Deaths, 20247,678
- Natural change, 20243,200
- Net domestic migration, 2024951
- Net international migration, 20245,263
- Total net migration, 20246,214
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-7,336
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1116th of 3,144
The county has grown 2.17 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Pierce County
Where are people moving to Pierce County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving30,441
- People arriving, from those returns55,012
- Tax returns filed by households leaving30,199
- Net household movement242
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.33 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$96.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$76,649
- Average income of a leaving household$74,061
- Largest single originKing County (10,371 households)
- Largest single destinationKing County (6,593 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County | 10,371 | 18,512 | $936.9 m |
| Thurston County | 1,707 | 3,148 | $108.2 m |
| Kitsap County | 984 | 1,663 | $71.5 m |
| Snohomish County | 952 | 1,720 | $81.3 m |
| Foreign - APO/FPO ZIPs | 492 | 1,160 | $31.4 m |
| Los Angeles County | 476 | 808 | $42.3 m |
| Honolulu County | 450 | 943 | $27.4 m |
| Maricopa County | 414 | 719 | $32.4 m |
Households arriving report $2,588 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is King County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Pierce County
What is the Pierce County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$64.94 bn
- County GDP, 2023$61.45 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.7 percent
- GDP change over five years34.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Washington areas BEA publishes2nd of 39
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes89th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$69,805
Output grew 5.7 percent in the latest year and 34.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Pierce County
Employment by industry in Pierce County
- Covered employment, annual average333,492
- Establishments reporting20,820
- Average annual pay$70,395
- Average weekly wage$1,354
- Health care and social assistance, employment56,625
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$73,448
- Retail trade, employment36,054
- Retail trade, average annual pay$48,401
- Accommodation and food services, employment29,575
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$31,104
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment24,342
- Administrative and support and waste management services, average annual pay$62,838
- Construction, employment23,993
- Transportation and warehousing, employment20,071
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 56,625 | 2,543 | $73,448 |
| Retail trade | 36,054 | 1,983 | $48,401 |
| Accommodation and food services | 29,575 | 1,751 | $31,104 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 24,342 | 1,359 | $62,838 |
| Construction | 23,993 | 2,962 | $83,055 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 20,071 | 658 | $69,788 |
| Manufacturing | 16,381 | 649 | $77,757 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 13,186 | 2,637 | $93,627 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 56,625 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Pierce County
How many businesses are in Pierce County?
- Establishments, all industries20,051
- Employment at those establishments294,765
- Annual payroll$18.20 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Pierce County
Building permits in Pierce County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20243,207
- Declared construction value permitted$842.4 m
- Single family units authorized1,731
- Multifamily units authorized1,476
- Multifamily share of units46.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$262,663
- Units authorized per 1,000 households9.1
Multifamily is 46.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pierce County
SBA loans in Pierce County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,468
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$816.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$556,499
- Median 7(a) approval$180,400
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,581,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12,767
- Jobs per approval8.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active107
- Distinct industries receiving approvals303
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms286
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1,129
- Franchise loans145
- Franchise share of approvals9.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (94)
- Most active lenderColumbia Bank (242)
- 504 approvals recorded258
- 504 gross approval dollars$265.2 m
- Average 504 approval$1,027,922
- Median 504 approval$657,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval9.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.0
- Most active CDCEvergreen Business Capital (127)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$1.08 bn
The average approval of $556,499 sits well above the median of $180,400, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 19.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Pierce County
Do SBA loans in Pierce County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded311
- Paid in full288
- Charged off23
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans7.4 percent
- Status: Paid in full288
- Status: Exempt from disclosure927
- Status: Cancelled173
- Status: Charged off23
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed57
Of the 311 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
SBA lending by place in Pierce County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending42
- Tacoma, approvals487
- Puyallup, approvals254
- Lakewood, approvals124
- Gig Harbor, approvals118
- Bonney Lake, approvals66
- Sumner, approvals56
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 487 | $271,416,100 |
| Puyallup | 254 | $126,806,700 |
| Lakewood | 124 | $107,804,200 |
| Gig Harbor | 118 | $51,748,900 |
| Bonney Lake | 66 | $24,674,900 |
| Sumner | 56 | $38,994,200 |
| Buckley | 40 | $17,093,700 |
| Spanaway | 39 | $26,613,400 |
| 34 other borrower cities | 284 | $151,789,000 |
Tacoma accounts for 487 approvals against 254 in Puyallup. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
How large is Pierce County?
- Land area1,670 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Washington counties23rd of 39
- Width, east to west69.1 mi
- Height, north to south46.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land557
- Establishments per square mile12.01
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Pierce County
Flood risk in Pierce County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Pierce County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 530138
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 2
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book21
- Of those, participating in the NFIP19
- NFIP participation rate90.5 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 2
- Communities carrying a CRS class3
- Radon levels in Pierce County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Pierce County (community 530138), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 2, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Pierce County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 2, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 90.5 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Pierce County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Pierce County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024930,319
- Households351,330
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$99,564
- Median age37.0
Common questions
Pierce County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pierce County, Washington?
The Census Bureau estimates 941,170 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 930,319, in 351,330 households, ranking 2nd of 39 Washington counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pierce County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.17 percent since the 2020 census base of 921,162, to 941,170 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 10,878 births against 7,678 deaths, with net migration of 6,214. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pierce County?
$99,564. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $526,600, which is 5.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,806 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Pierce County?
20,051 establishments, employing 294,765 people with an annual payroll of $18.20 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Pierce County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 56,625 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 333,492 jobs at an average annual pay of $70,395, or $1,354 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pierce County?
1,468 7(a) approvals totaling $816.9 m since FY2020, across 107 lenders, with a median approval of $180,400, plus 258 504 approvals worth $265.2 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Pierce County get paid back?
Of the 311 loans that have reached a final outcome, 288 were paid in full and 23 charged off, a charge-off rate of 7.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Pierce County?
3,207 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $842.4 m. Multifamily was 46.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pierce County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Pierce County come from?
The largest single origin is King County, with 10,371 households. Arriving households report an average income of $76,649 against $74,061 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Pierce County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Pierce County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Pierce County
Cities and places in Pierce.
74 Census places lie wholly or partly in Pierce County. 73 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | city | 222,758 | 487 | Wholly in this county |
| Auburn | city | 85,676 | 6 | 5.5 percent here, 94.5 percent King County |
| South Hill | CDP | 68,025 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lakewood | city | 62,937 | 124 | Wholly in this county |
| Puyallup | city | 42,746 | 254 | Wholly in this county |
| Parkland | CDP | 38,742 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Graham | CDP | 35,079 | 29 | Wholly in this county |
| University Place | city | 34,911 | 37 | Wholly in this county |
| Spanaway | CDP | 34,019 | 39 | Wholly in this county |
| Frederickson | CDP | 25,383 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bonney Lake | city | 22,090 | 66 | Wholly in this county |
| Fort Lewis | CDP | 15,167 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Elk Plain | CDP | 14,276 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Artondale | CDP | 14,073 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Edgewood | city | 13,032 | 18 | Wholly in this county |
| Lake Tapps | CDP | 12,798 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Gig Harbor | city | 12,424 | 118 | Wholly in this county |
| Prairie Ridge | CDP | 12,074 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fife | city | 10,949 | 36 | Wholly in this county |
| Sumner | city | 10,733 | 56 | Wholly in this county |
| DuPont | city | 9,931 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Tehaleh | CDP | 9,561 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Midland | CDP | 9,050 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Orting | city | 8,978 | 25 | Wholly in this county |
| Milton | city | 8,894 | 20 | 77.6 percent here, 22.4 percent King County |
| Summit | CDP | 8,791 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Summit View | CDP | 8,480 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Waller | CDP | 7,683 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Clover Creek | CDP | 7,345 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fircrest | city | 7,069 | 13 | Wholly in this county |
| Pacific | city | 7,066 | 6 | 24.9 percent here, 75.1 percent King County |
| Wollochet | CDP | 6,689 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Steilacoom | town | 6,686 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| North Fort Lewis | CDP | 6,337 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Maplewood | CDP | 5,803 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Buckley | city | 5,371 | 40 | Wholly in this county |
| Prairie Heights | CDP | 4,998 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wauna | CDP | 4,805 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Longbranch | CDP | 4,638 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Rosedale | CDP | 4,208 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Key Center | CDP | 3,544 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fox Island | CDP | 3,414 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| McChord AFB | CDP | 2,999 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Canterwood | CDP | 2,971 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Eatonville | town | 2,850 | 18 | Wholly in this county |
| Alderton | CDP | 2,706 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| South Creek | CDP | 2,191 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Stansberry Lake | CDP | 1,807 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Home | CDP | 1,665 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| North Puyallup | CDP | 1,653 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Anderson Island | CDP | 1,448 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Fife Heights | CDP | 1,446 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| McMillin | CDP | 1,348 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Purdy | CDP | 1,344 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Clear Lake | CDP | 1,271 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Crocker | CDP | 1,254 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ruston | city | 1,245 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Browns Point | CDP | 979 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Dash Point | CDP | 889 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Vaughn | CDP | 753 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Roy | city | 735 | 17 | Wholly in this county |
| Carbonado | town | 704 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| McKenna | CDP | 669 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Wilkeson | town | 552 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Kapowsin | CDP | 466 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Raft Island | CDP | 333 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ashford | CDP | 319 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| South Prairie | town | 309 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| La Grande | CDP | 288 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Herron Island | CDP | 119 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Alder | CDP | 96 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Greenwater | CDP | 59 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Elbe | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ketron Island | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 18 of the county's 1,468 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Pierce County, the largest being Lakebay (6), Seattle (3), Federal Way (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby