Fort Lewis, WA

Census Place

2024 Population

15,167

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

22.9

0.435% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

13.2%

19.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,796

7.09% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1,766

Population & Diversity

Fort Lewis, WA is home to a population of 15.2k people, from which 95.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.8% of Fort Lewis, WA residents were born outside of the country (1.64k people).

In 2024, there were 2.51 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.32k people) in Fort Lewis, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.52k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.56k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.8%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.8% of Fort Lewis, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fort Lewis, WA was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Fort Lewis, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fort Lewis, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.32k ± 840
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.52k ± 777
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.56k ± 652

26.5%

Hispanic Population

4.03k people

26.5% of the people in Fort Lewis, WA are hispanic (4.03k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fort Lewis, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

10.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.64k people

9.17%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.28k people

As of 2024, 10.8% of Fort Lewis, WA residents (1.64k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fort Lewis, WA was 9.17%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Fort Lewis, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Gulf War (2001-)

Most Common Service Period

780 ± 233

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fort Lewis, WA.

Economy

The economy of Fort Lewis, WA employs 1.77k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fort Lewis, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (455 people), Retail Trade (286 people), and Educational Services (216 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($45,278), Finance & Insurance ($41,667), and Accommodation & Food Services ($40,288).

Employment

Occupations

1.77k

2024 Value

± 339

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 27.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Lewis, WA declined at a rate of −1.01%, from 1.78k employees to 1.77k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fort Lewis, WA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (198 people), Management Occupations (188 people), and Material Moving Occupations (158 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fort Lewis, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.77k

2024 Value

± 339

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 27.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Lewis, WA declined at a rate of −1.01%, from 1.78k employees to 1.77k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fort Lewis, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (455 people), Retail Trade (286 people), and Educational Services (216 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fort Lewis, WA, though some of these residents may live in Fort Lewis, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$30,707

Median earning men ± $7,004

$30,695

Median earning women ± $6,390

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($88,150), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($62,972), and Construction ($45,278).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($51,875), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($40,673), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($38,790).

Housing & Living

People in Fort Lewis, WA have an average commute time of 11.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fort Lewis, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,796

Median Household Income

± $4,348

3.25k

Number of Households

± 466

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.25k households in Fort Lewis, WA grew to $58,796 from the previous year's value of $54,902.

The following chart displays the households in Fort Lewis, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Fort Lewis, WA is from Washington.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (61.1%)
Walked (19.7%)
Carpooled (15.2%)

In 2024, 61.1% of workers in Fort Lewis, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (19.7%) and those who carpooled to work (15.2%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

11.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fort Lewis, WA have a shorter commute time (11.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.562% of the workforce in Fort Lewis, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Fort Lewis, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Fort Lewis, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Fort Lewis, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fort Lewis, WA (1.38k out of 10.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males < 5, followed by Females < 5 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fort Lewis, WA is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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