CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

47.22° N · 122.17° W · GEOID 5337920

Lake Tapps

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

WashingtonLake Tapps, WALake TappsLake Tapps

The short answer

Lake Tapps is home to 12,798 people. Median household income is $148,005 a year and median rent is $2,091 a month, 17.0% 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 $742,400, about 5.0x annual median household income.

What sets Lake Tapps apart is how tight household budgets are. 23% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 182 Washington places we track. Also notable: Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 99 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

61OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Lake Tapps scores better than 61% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 57th of 190 in Washington.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%51
Economy 20%95
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%26
Education 10%69
Commute 10%5
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$2,091
53% above the median place
Median household income
$148,005
84% above the median place
Median home value
$742,400
132% above the median place
Unemployment
1.9%
62% below 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 Lake Tapps

  • AffordabilityAfter the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $119,400 a year, more than in 88% of the 1,884 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Lake Tapps

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
3.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state.
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
$83,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,091 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,340 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $742,400.
Getting to work
37 minutes each way on average; 18.7% work from home; 2.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Miller Place, NY matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.4%
41% below the median place
Moved from another state1
2.9%
45% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
0.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.4%41% below
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

Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,249 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 92% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Lake Tapps17.0%
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
$83,640
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.0%
17% below the median place
Home price to income
5.0x
32% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$119,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Tapps, $2,091 a month, and local prices for everything else (102.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake Tapps, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lake Tapps on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Miller Place, NY889.6% vs 17.0%$6,500Compare
Wescosville, PA8313.7% vs 17.0%$2,600Compare
Waukesha, WI8111.8% vs 17.0%n/aCompare
Campton Hills, IL7710.0% vs 17.0%$65,200Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Tapps? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
22.6%
55% below the median place
Homeownership1
89.2%
34% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,340
78% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,09153% above
Rent to income117.0%17% below
Property tax rate11.0%11% above
Home price to income15.0x32% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure111.110% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,06428% above
Property tax paid (median)1$7,510130% above
Median home value1$742,400132% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%9% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.5%12% below
Homeownership189.2%34% above
Renters paying 30%+122.6%55% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,34078% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.0%30% below
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 225 hours a year commuting, more than in 92% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Unemployment1
1.9%
62% below the median place
Mean commute1
37 min
47% above the median place
Income per person1
$71,939
80% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$148,005 +84%
Poverty rate4.6% −57%
Works from home18.7% +50%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$148,00584% above
Income per person1$71,93980% above
Unemployment11.9%62% below
Average annual pay5County figure$73,97312% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure337,071124% above
Poverty rate14.6%57% below
Mean commute137 min47% above
Works from home118.7%50% above
Commutes by transit1County figure2.1%152% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 1.1%, 83% below the median place.

No health insurance1
1.1%
83% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
97.7%
6% above the median place
High school or higher1
95.9%
4% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.8 +11%
Median age42.2 +8%
Bachelor's or higher42.1% +31%
Born abroad5.8% −35%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,7983414th largest
Median age142.28% above
Bachelor's or higher142.1%31% above
High school or higher195.9%4% above
Household size12.811% above
Born abroad15.8%35% below
No health insurance11.1%83% below
Homes with broadband197.7%6% above
05

Life in Lake Tapps

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 93% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 190 Washington places we track.

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

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents19.5 +92%
Playgrounds per 10k18.8 +99%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k3.1 −72%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails2 km −5%
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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Mount Rainier National Park 33 miles
  • Mount Rainier Wilderness 34 miles
  • Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve 72 miles

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 schools11
3
67% below the median place
Public school students11
1,424
71% below the median place
Students per teacher11
17.6
14% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11367% below
Public school students111,42471% below
Students per teacher1117.614% 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 10k819.592% above
Playgrounds per 10k818.899% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k83.172% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails81.95% below
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site932.97% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles920% above
National Register listings10County 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 Lake Tapps. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
73°F
16% below the median place
Annual precipitation12
65.4 in
49% above the median place
Average temperature12
47°F
14% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake TappsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure73°F16% below
January average low12County figure31°F24% above
Average temperature12County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation12County figure65.4 in49% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure98.57% above
Tornado risk13County figure41.249% below
Wildfire risk13County figure76.825% above
Heat wave risk13County figure97.38% above
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure73.2%7% above
08

Lake Tapps in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

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. On projected 2030 affordability, Lake Tapps does better than 49% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 86%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,091/mo (2024)$2,710/mo$2,220 to $3,300/mo+4.4%
Median household income$148,005 (2024)$188,000$159,000 to $222,500+4.1%
Median home value$742,400 (2024)$1,099,000$797,000 to $1,513,000+6.8%

The median home would be worth 5.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.0 now.

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

09

Places like Lake Tapps

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

PlaceRentIncome
New Hyde Park, NY$2,172$142,927Compare
Franklin Square, NY$2,102$143,263Compare
Lynbrook, NY$2,230$136,696Compare
East Moriches, NY$2,314$139,222Compare
East Moriches, NYLynbrook, NYFranklin Square, NYNew Hyde Park, NYLake Tapps, WALake TappsNew Hyde ParkLynbrookLake TappsNew Hyde ParkLynbrook

Places built like Lake Tapps

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lake Tapps performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lake Tapps, WA17.0%4.8%/yrn/a
San Diego Country Estates, CA23.5%3.8%/yrn/aCompare
Artondale, WA18.1%6.2%/yrn/aCompare
Lake Shore, WA20.6%8.2%/yrn/aCompare
East Renton Highlands, WA22.9%6.1%/yrn/aCompare
Lake Morton-Berrydale, WA18.6%4.8%/yrn/aCompare
Damascus, OR26.0%5.4%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Lake Tapps a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 61 out of 100, better than 61% of the places we rate and 57th of 190 in Washington. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $119,400 a year, more than in 88% of the 1,884 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 79 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Tapps expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $742,400.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Tapps?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $83,640 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Tapps?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are New Hyde Park, NY, Franklin Square, NY, Lynbrook, NY and East Moriches, NY.

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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 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
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. 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 Lake Tapps with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Tapps itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-tapps-washington

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

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