CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

46.93° N · 122.30° W · GEOID 5312820

Clear Lake

Pierce County, Washington · part of the Seattle, WA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_household_income

WashingtonClear Lake, WAClear LakeClear Lake

The short answer

Clear Lake is home to 1,271 people. Median household income is $99,564 a year and median rent is $1,699 a month, 20.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $788,500, about 7.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,699
24% above the median place
Median household income
$99,564
24% above the median place
Median home value
$788,500
147% above the median place
Unemployment
5.2%
5% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Clear Lake

  • The median home is worth 7.9 years of the median household's income, more than in 96% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Public schools here have 18.5 students per teacher, more than in 85% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 1995, newer housing than in 84% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 45.5 years old, older than in 81% of places its size.
01

Moving to Clear Lake

Pierce County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in50,429
Moved out49,870
Net+559

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Washington, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WashingtonOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$74K
Leavers$71K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Pierce County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Pierce County report $73,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $70,700.
Income you would need
$68,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,699 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,423 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $788,500.
Getting to work
36 minutes each way on average; 13.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Kahului, HI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
2.9%
45% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.8%
18% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
0.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.8%18% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.9%45% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$73,5504% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$70,7181% above
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 7.9x, 108% above the median place.

Clear Lake20.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$67,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.5%
0% above the median place
Home price to income
7.9x
108% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$77,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Clear Lake, $1,699 a month, and local prices for everything else (102.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Clear Lake.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Clear Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$788,500
147% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$6,575
101% above the median place
Median year built1
1995
1% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,69924% above
Rent to income120.5%0% above
Property tax rate10.8%9% below
Home price to income17.9x108% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure111.110% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,06428% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,575101% above
Median home value1$788,500147% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%9% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.5%12% below
Homeownership181.6%23% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure53.0%5% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$2,42329% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.0%30% below
Median year built119951% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
36 min
43% above the median place
Income per person1
$38,760
3% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$99,56424% above
Income per person1$38,7603% below
Unemployment1County figure5.2%5% above
Average annual pay5County figure$73,97312% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure337,071124% above
Poverty rate1County figure8.8%18% below
Mean commute136 min43% above
Works from home1County figure13.9%12% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 97.0%, 5% above the median place.

High school or higher1
97.0%
5% above the median place
Median age1
45.5
17% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
19.2%
40% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2716646th largest
Median age145.517% above
Bachelor's or higher119.2%40% below
High school or higher197.0%5% above
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad1County figure10.9%23% above
No health insurance1County figure5.9%8% below
Homes with broadband192.7%0% above
05

Life in Clear Lake

198 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents31.5 3.1×
Playgrounds per 10k15.7 +67%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k7.9 −29%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.3 −12%
Shops22.9 −24%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.3 −20%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.9 −16%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools10
1
89% below the median place
Public school students10
314
94% below the median place
Students per teacher10
18.5
20% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10189% below
Public school students1031494% below
Students per teacher1018.520% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure18.312% below
Shops per 10k7County figure22.924% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.320% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure16.916% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.30% above
Parks per 10k831.5209% above
Playgrounds per 10k815.767% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k87.929% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure198above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 73°F, 16% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Clear Lake. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high11
73°F
16% below the median place
Annual precipitation11
65.4 in
49% above the median place
Average temperature11
47°F
14% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureClear LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure73°F16% below
January average low11County figure31°F24% above
Average temperature11County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation11County figure65.4 in49% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure98.57% above
Tornado risk12County figure41.249% below
Wildfire risk12County figure76.825% above
Heat wave risk12County figure97.38% above
Median air quality index13County figure442% above
Good air days13County figure73.2%7% above
08

Clear Lake in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$95,882 (2024)$121,000$102,500 to $143,500+4.0%
Median home value$788,500 (2024)$1,243,000$902,000 to $1,713,000+7.9%

The median home would be worth 10.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 8.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Clear Lake

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Kahului, HI$1,488$98,077Compare
Rosemead, CA$1,834$73,566Compare
Mammoth Lakes, CA$1,645$98,056Compare
Makawao, HI$1,908$96,444Compare
Makawao, HIMammoth Lakes, CARosemead, CAKahului, HIClear Lake, WAClear LakeKahuluiRosemeadMammoth LakesMakawaoClear LakeKahuluiRosemeadMammoth LakesMakawao

Common questions

Is Clear Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is worth 7.9 years of the median household's income, more than in 96% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Public schools here have 18.5 students per teacher, more than in 85% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 24 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Clear Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $788,500.

What salary do you need to live in Clear Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $67,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Clear Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Kahului, HI, Rosemead, CA, Mammoth Lakes, CA and Makawao, HI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Clear Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Clear Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/clear-lake-washington

Citytistics. “Clear Lake, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/clear-lake-washington/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.