Tacoma, WA

Census Place

Add Comparison
2024 Population
222,758
US Senator
Patty Murray
Democratic Party
US Senator
Maria Cantwell
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
37.2
0.268% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
12.4%
3.22% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$85,884
2.42% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$479,600
5.5% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
112,350
0.241% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Tacoma, WA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

94.5% of the residents in Tacoma, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Tacoma, WA are University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (1,800 degrees awarded in 2023), Tacoma Community College (1,711 degrees), and Bates Technical College (850 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Tacoma, WA was $479,600, and the homeownership rate was 55.8%.

Most people in Tacoma, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Tacoma, WA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: This is the outside of the "hot shop", at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. The cone design was inspired by the wood "beehive burners" of the sawmills that once lined the waterways of Tacoma. It is made of 2,800 diamond-shaped stainless steel panels.
Photo by Sheila Sund
United StatesWashingtonPierce County, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAKing County (Far Southwest)--Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WATacoma City (North) PUMA, WATacoma City (South) PUMA, WAPierce County (North Central)--Bonney Lake, Edgewood, Fife & Sumner Cities PUMA, WAPierce County (South Central)--Parkland & Spanaway PUMA, WAPierce County (West Central)--Lakewood & University Place Cities PUMA, WA

Population & Diversity

Tacoma, WA is home to a population of 223k people, from which 94.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 12.6% of Tacoma, WA residents were born outside of the country (28k people).

In 2024, there were 5.91 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (124k people) in Tacoma, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.9k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 20.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.5%
2024 Citizenship
94.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.5% of Tacoma, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Tacoma, WA was 94.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Tacoma, WA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    124k ± 2.41k
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    20.9k ± 1.38k
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    20.7k ± 1.76k
13.8%
Hispanic Population
30.8k people

In 2024, there were 5.91 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (124k people) in Tacoma, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.9k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 20.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

13.8% of the people in Tacoma, WA are hispanic (30.8k people).

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

View Data
Save Image

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    248,556 ± 12,042 people
  2. India
    107,324 ± 7,987 people
  3. China
    89,838 ± 7,316 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 248,556 Washington residents, followed by India with 107,324 and China with 89,838.

View Data
Save Image

Foreign-Born Population

12.6%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
28k people
12.2%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
26.9k people

As of 2024, 12.6% of Tacoma, WA residents (28k 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 Tacoma, WA was 12.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    5,746 ± 731
  2. Vietnam
    3,724 ± 480
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    2,659 ± 453

Tacoma, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.54 times greater than any other conflict.

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

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Tacoma, WA employs 112k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Tacoma, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (17,357 people), Retail Trade (12,044 people), and Educational Services (10,682 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($128,517), Utilities ($104,881), and Information ($91,125).

Employment

Occupations

112k
2024 Value
± 2,752
−0.241%
1 Year decline
± 3.51%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Tacoma, WA declined at a rate of −0.241%, from 113k employees to 112k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Tacoma, WA, are Management Occupations (11,687 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (11,359 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (10,043 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Tacoma, WA.

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Industries

Employment by Industries

112k
2024 Value
± 2,752
−0.241%
1 Year decline
± 3.51%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Tacoma, WA declined at a rate of −0.241%, from 113k employees to 112k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Tacoma, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (17,357 people), Retail Trade (12,044 people), and Educational Services (10,682 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Tacoma, WA, though some of these residents may live in Tacoma, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

View Data
Save Image

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,640
Median earning men ± $2,023
$51,827
Median earning women ± $1,612

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($96,250), Public Administration ($92,885), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($71,824).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($87,727), Public Administration ($80,684), and Information ($79,596).

View Data
Save Image

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Y-Axis
3.62%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.58M people employed in Washington. This represents a 3.62% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Washington.

View Data
Save Image

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing the state of Washington. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Tacoma, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (57.2%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (39%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.4%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Washington for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

View Data
Save Image

Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Patty Murray
Senator from Washington3
Assumed office on January 3, 1993
Maria Cantwell
Senator from Washington1
Assumed office on January 3, 2001

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing Washington.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Washington over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

View Data
Save Image

Education

In 2023, universities in Tacoma, WA awarded 5,652 degrees. The student population of Tacoma, WA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 7,909 male students and 9,621 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Tacoma, WA are White (2,462 and 44.6%), Hispanic or Latino (813 and 14.7%), Asian (647 and 11.7%), and Two or More Races (522 and 9.46%).

The largest universities in Tacoma, WA by number of degrees awarded are University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (1,800 and 31.8%), Tacoma Community College (1,711 and 30.3%), and Bates Technical College (850 and 15%).

The most popular majors in Tacoma, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (549 and 9.71%), General Business Administration & Management (236 and 4.18%), and General Psychology (223 and 3.95%).

The median tuition costs in Tacoma, WA are $33,720 for private four year colleges, and $8,001 and $25,733 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Tacoma, WA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 78.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 17,530 (45.1% men and 54.9% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

View Data
Save Image

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 17,530 students enrolled in Tacoma, WA, 45.1% men and 54.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,325 records, of which 55% were women and 45% men.

View Data
Save Image

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Business Administration & Management
    183 degrees awarded
  2. General Computer & Information Sciences
    171 degrees awarded
  3. General Psychology
    223 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Tacoma, WA was General Business Administration & Management with 183 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Tacoma, WA according to their major.

View Data
Save Image

Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
    1,800 degrees awarded
  2. Tacoma Community College
    1,711 degrees awarded
  3. Bates Technical College
    850 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Washington-Tacoma Campus with 1,800 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 2,253 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Tacoma, WA, which is 0.663 times less than the 3,399 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,462 degrees mean that there were 3.03 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 813 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($33,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,438) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,151) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

View Data
Save Image

Housing & Living

The median property value in Tacoma, WA was $479,600 in 2024, which is 1.44 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $454,600 to $479,600, a 5.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Tacoma, WA is 55.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Tacoma, WA have an average commute time of 28.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Tacoma, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$479,600
Median Property Value 2024
±$5,144
$51,893
Median Property Taxes
±$1,750

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Tacoma, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Tacoma, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

55.8%
Homeownership
2024
65%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 55.8% of the housing units in Tacoma, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 56.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Tacoma, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

View Data
Save Image

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$85,884
Median Household Income
± $1,903
93k
Number of Households
± 2,487

In 2024, the median household income of the 93k households in Tacoma, WA grew to $85,884 from the previous year's value of $83,857.

The following chart displays the households in Tacoma, 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 $75k - $100k range.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Tacoma, WA is from Washington.
0.468
2023 Wage GINI in Washington
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2023, the income inequality in Washington was 0.468 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.276% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

View Data
Save Image

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (66%)
  2. Worked At Home (15.7%)
  3. Carpooled (9.91%)

In 2024, 66% of workers in Tacoma, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.7%) and those who carpooled to work (9.91%).

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.

View Data
Save Image

Commute Time

28.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Tacoma, WA have a longer commute time (28.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.64% of the workforce in Tacoma, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Tacoma, WA (27k out of 218k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

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

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.

View Data
Save Image

Health

92.9% of the population of Tacoma, WA has health coverage, with 47.1% on employee plans, 21% on Medicaid, 9.32% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 2.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington see 1,202 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,202 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1152 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 186 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.2% under 18 years, 25% between 18 and 34 years, 39% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

7.1%
Uninsured
47.1%
Employer Coverage
21%
Medicaid
9.32%
Medicare
13.3%
Non-Group
2.1%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Tacoma, WA declined by 1.17% from 7.18% to 7.1%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Tacoma, WA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

View Data
Save Image