Census-designated place · Wahkiakum County, Washington

Puget Island, Washington

Puget Island is a census-designated place in Wahkiakum County, Washington. It has 1,008 residents. Puget Island, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 57 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,799 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #212 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on grocery stores (high), uninsured residents (under 65) (low) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), arts, entertainment and recreation (low) and home price to income ratio (high).

57Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,799 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #212 of 395 in WA
Population: 1,008 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 133.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 5356555

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 68 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety84#2,571/15,637
Economy22#12,162/15,631
Housing—
Health45#8,613/15,609
Healthcare62#5,993/15,650
Environment99#147/15,453
Education57#6,655/15,649
Infrastructure9#14,287/15,650
Community57#6,733/15,651
Leisure & amenities49#7,952/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Puget Island, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Wahkiakum 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

Grocery stores · high4.1 /10k
98/100Washington 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWahkiakum County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.0%
98/100Washington 7.8%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Hot days · low1 days
97/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWahkiakum County value
Restaurants and bars · high16.4 /10k
96/100Washington 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWahkiakum County value
Voter turnout · high80.9%
96/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWahkiakum County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.4 µg/m³
94/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWahkiakum County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low70.1%
1/100Washington 93.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Washington 4.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWahkiakum County value
Home price to income ratio · high9.8×
4/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Washington 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWahkiakum County value
Depression · high29.8%
6/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Child care cost burden · high40.7%
7/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWahkiakum County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,118 (2015-2019) → 1,008 (2020-2024)
−9.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
21.6% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+78 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 51.4% (2020-2024)
+51 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 9.8× (2020-2024)
+181%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Poverty rateWorsening
9.5% (2015-2019) → 25.0% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsWorsening
78.8% (2015-2019) → 70.1% (2020-2024)
−8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Puget Island, Washington improved on 0 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined3

Price / income+6.3×3.5× → 9.8×
Poverty+16 points9.5% → 25.0%
Broadband−8.7 points78.8% → 70.1%

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Puget Island, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	47.1 min2015-2019	37.7 min2020-2024	−9.4 min	Within the margin of error	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.4%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Broadband subscriptions	78.8%2015-2019	70.1%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Declined	1%
Effective property tax rate	0.88%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	94.4%2015-2019	97.9%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	9.8×2020-2024	+6.3×	Declined	0%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4212015-2019	0.5462020-2024	+0.125	Within the margin of error	2%
Median household income	$63,9582015-2019	$49,4382020-2024	−23%	Within the margin of error	1%
Poverty rate	9.5%2015-2019	25.0%2020-2024	+16 points	Declined	1%

“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 Puget Island, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Puget Island, 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, Puget Island, Washington itself moved −16.4 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,008 residents (±225)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

498 households (±127)

Puget Island, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k25%†123
$25k–50k27%†135
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

498 households (±127)

Puget Island, Washington
Washington share

Own74%369
Rent26%†129

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−17.6 points).

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

368 workers (±106)

Puget Island, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone61%†226
Carpool9.8%†36
Public transit

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 Wahkiakum County, the county holding most of Puget Island's residents.

Wahkiakum County has 98 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.80× Washington's), with 478 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,990. The Census Bureau also counts 355 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 98; 355 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 478
Average annual pay: $38,990; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	10	21	1.14×About typical	47	$19,872	3
Construction of buildings	9	18.9	2.50×Too few to compare	12	$34,833	9
Specialty trade contractors	6	12.6	0.81×Too few to compare	8	$31,625	21
Full-service restaurants	5	10.5	1.37×Too few to compare	28	$18,464	—
Grocery and convenience stores	4	8.4	2.83×Too few to compare	27	$43,593	—
Religious organizations	4	8.4	1.51×Too few to compare	10	$13,300	—
Food manufacturing	3	6.3	6.81×Too few to compare	36	$23,083	—
Heavy and civil engineering construction	3	6.3	5.49×Too few to compare	26	$67,269	—
Legal services	3	6.3	1.17×Too few to compare	11	$33,909	—
Lessors of real estate	3	6.3	0.51×Too few to compare	5	$35,200	38
Limited-service restaurants	3	6.3	0.79×Too few to compare	12	$26,500	—
Other specialty trade contractors	3	6.3	2.51×Too few to compare	5	$37,600	8

Rank places for an industry Open Wahkiakum County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,764 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 $8,921 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Puget Island, Washington: $8.85 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $8,921; +19% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.85; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 73%; US 8.7%

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. Fish and Wildlife Service$8,921100%

Top recipients

NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN CONSTRUCTION, INC.$6,50273%
DEERE & COMPANY$2,12624%
DYNAMIC LABOR LLC$2923.3%
ADVANCED LOGISTIC PARTNERS INC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

54.9KFY2017
33.2KFY2018
10.4KFY2019
18.8KFY2020
2.7KFY2021
33.6KFY2022
70.3KFY2023
163.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$6,50273%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$2,12624%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2923.3%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Puget Island, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Puget Island, Washington's figures are part of those of Wahkiakum County, WA ($119.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 7.5% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wahkiakum 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.

Puget Island, Washington is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Marie Gluesenkamp PerezD-WA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%Missed 1.3%

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.

Wahkiakum County63100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Wahkiakum 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
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/5356555

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends