Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety20#12,442/15,637
Economy49#7,999/15,631
Housing31#10,304/14,977
Health33#10,464/15,609
Healthcare59#6,462/15,650
Environment34#10,160/15,453
Education27#11,376/15,649
Infrastructure49#7,955/15,650
Community28#11,217/15,651
Leisure & amenities34#10,283/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lakewood, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Pierce County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hot days · low1 days
95/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPierce County value
Mental health providers · high623 /100k
94/100Washington 568 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePierce County value
Public transit commuters · high3.2%
89/100Washington 3.5%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100Washington 0.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPierce County value
New business applications · high18.0 /1k
84/100Washington 17.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauPierce County value
New homes permitted · high5.6 /1k
79/100Washington 4.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high36.1 /100k
5/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPierce County value
Mammography screening · low34.0%
6/100Washington 41.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePierce County value
Home price to income ratio · high6.2×
9/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Property crime rate · high2,022 /100k
13/100Washington 1,975 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationPierce County value
Students per teacher · high18.3×
13/100Washington 17.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsPierce County value
Average commute time · high29.3 min
16/100Washington 26.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
1.3 /1k (2021) → 5.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+327%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
24.3% (2015-2019) → 14.2% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$51,972 (2015-2019) → $74,720 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.7% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.2× (2015-2019) → 6.2× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Poverty rateImproving
16.6% (2015-2019) → 13.2% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lakewood, Washington improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Child poverty−10 points24.3% → 14.2%
Household income+44%$51,972 → $74,720
Poverty−3.4 points16.6% → 13.2%
Broadband+7.1 points84.7% → 91.8%

Declined2

Price / income+1.0×5.2× → 6.2×
Transit use−2.1 points5.3% → 3.2%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Lakewood, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.9 min2015-2019	29.3 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.6%2015-2019	23.2%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Broadband subscriptions	84.7%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Improved	44%
Child poverty rate	24.3%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	1.12%2015-2019	0.85%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	70%
High school diploma or higher	89.0%2015-2019	87.7%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Home price to income ratio	5.2×2015-2019	6.2×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	23%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4552015-2019	0.4742020-2024	+0.019	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$51,9722015-2019	$74,7202020-2024	+44%	Improved	79%
Poverty rate	16.6%2015-2019	13.2%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Improved	72%
Public transit commuters	5.3%2015-2019	3.2%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Declined	13%
Rent as share of income	32.6%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	55.2%2015-2019	52.8%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Unemployment rate	6.7%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.0%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Lakewood, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lakewood, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lakewood, Washington itself moved +0.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

62,937 residents (±37)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 men (+1.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

62,937 residents (±37)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

White45%28,313
Black13%8,398
Hispanic or Latino19%11,845
Asian6.9%4,366
American Indian and Alaska Native0.3%†210
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander3.5%†2,221
Other or two or more races12%7,584

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−5.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

45,037 residents (±1,211)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma12%5,519
High school or GED26%11,811
Some college26%11,771
Associate degree12%5,475
Bachelor's degree14%6,184
Graduate degree9.5%4,277

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+1.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

26,500 households (±846)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k14%3,733
$25k–50k16%4,130
$50k–75k21%5,439
$75k–100k15%3,952
$100k–150k16%4,332
$150k–200k7.5%1,976
$200k or more11%2,938

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−10.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

26,500 households (±846)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Own48%12,590
Rent52%13,910

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

13,316 households (±868)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Under $7502.1%†286
$750–1,0008.1%†1,072
$1,000–1,50038%5,112

Home values

12,590 homes (±754)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k10%1,270
$150k–250k5.2%†659
$250k–400k20%2,498

Age of homes

28,591 homes (±835)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later6.8%1,932
2000–20099.8%2,815
1980–199925%7,016

Size of homes

28,591 homes (±835)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Studio4.2%†1,188
1 bedroom18%5,149
2 bedrooms31%8,821

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

29,332 workers (±1,075)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone72%21,188
Carpool13%3,866
Public transit3.2%†924
Walk1.1%†314
Bike0.7%†213
Work from home8.8%2,578
Other0.8%†249

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−5.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

26,754 workers (±1,007)

Lakewood, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min20%5,250
15–29 min44%11,710
30–44 min19%5,011

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Pierce County, the county holding most of Lakewood's residents.

Pierce County has 20,051 employer establishments, 215 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248; 0.83× Washington's), with 294,765 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,747. The Census Bureau also counts 59,552 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 20,051; 59,552 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 215; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 294,765
Average annual pay: $61,747; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Pierce County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	1,985	21.3	1.38×More than typical	17,390	$77,748	2,714
Ambulatory health care services	1,570	16.9	0.81×About typical	20,564	$90,990	3,236
Restaurants and other eating places	1,512	16.2	0.88×About typical	26,330	$28,660	209
Lessors of real estate	1,278	13.7	1.11×About typical	4,421	$63,158	5,929
Construction of buildings	947	10.2	1.34×More than typical	4,939	$76,506	1,632
Truck transportation	666	7.2	1.41×More than typical	5,766	$64,320	2,079
Services to buildings and dwellings	645	6.9	1.03×About typical	4,900	$45,427	2,709
Offices of other health practitioners	626	6.7	1.11×About typical	3,286	$49,877	1,678
Full-service restaurants	625	6.7	0.87×About typical	11,112	$33,916	73
Real estate agents and brokers	623	6.7	1.37×More than typical	992	$67,281	2,191
Building finishing contractors	622	6.7	1.76×More than typical	4,372	$61,697	1,056
Limited-service restaurants	588	6.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	11,533	$24,788	87

Rank places for an industry Open Pierce County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 931,408 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $12.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lakewood, Washington: $203 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $12.8M; +551% vs FY2025
Per resident: $203; US $1,994
Sole-source: 95%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.7%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Coast Guard$12.1M95%
Defense Logistics Agency$505.1K4.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$113.4K0.9%
U.S. Geological Survey$104.5K0.8%
Department of the Army$8,9660.1%
USTRANSCOM$7,6410.1%

Top recipients

NW PROPELLER OPERATIONS, INC.$12.1M95%
NEW ERA CONTRACT SALES INC$505.1K4.0%
SPUR DESIGN, LLC$126.2K1.0%
LIGHTPATH SOLUTIONS LLC$71.4K0.6%
MIDNIGHT SUN-CENTENNIAL SUNNLIAQ JV, LLC$33K0.3%

Spending by fiscal year

1.6MFY2017
28.7MFY2018
5.6MFY2019
2.8MFY2020
996.7KFY2021
2.1MFY2022
3.6MFY2023
6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$11.7M91%
Ship and boat building · 3366$636.2K5.0%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$126.2K1.0%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$92.9K0.7%
Investigation and security services · 5616$71.4K0.6%
Fishing · 1141$44.5K0.3%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Lakewood, Washington

PURCHASE OF CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER HUB STOCK PARTS TO SUPPORT MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTERS.$3M
NW PROPELLER OPERATIONS, INC.· Pierce County, WA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026· 70Z08026F21639B00
PURCHASE OF CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER LEFT HAND HUB TO SUPPORT MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTERS.$1.5M
NW PROPELLER OPERATIONS, INC.· Pierce County, WA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026· 70Z08026F21642B00
PURCHASE OF CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER LEFT HAND HUB TO SUPPORT MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTERS.$1.5M
NW PROPELLER OPERATIONS, INC.· Pierce County, WA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026· 70Z08026F21641B00

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Lakewood, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Lakewood, Washington's figures are part of those of Pierce County, WA ($557.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lakewood is mostly in Pierce County.

See federal money in Pierce County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Lakewood, Washington is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Pierce County56100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA82

Other cities and towns in Pierce County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5338038

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends