CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

47.20° N · 122.28° W · GEOID 5350115

North Puyallup

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

Limited data population under 5,000

WashingtonNorth Puyallup, WANorth PuyallupNorth Puyallup

The short answer

North Puyallup is home to 1,653 people. Median household income is $83,489 a year and median rent is $1,348 a month, 19.4% 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 $379,200, about 4.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,348
1% below the median place
Median household income
$83,489
4% above the median place
Median home value
$379,200
19% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

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 North Puyallup

  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of the 1,242 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 163 Washington places.
  • Households average 1.77 people, smaller than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 190 Washington places.
  • The median resident is 62.7 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 190 Washington places.
  • 4.5% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 89% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 8.3% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 83% of places its size.
01

Moving to North Puyallup

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
$53,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,348 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,107 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $379,200.
Getting to work
31 minutes each way on average; 13.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Mesquite, NV 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
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 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

Homeownership is 79.3%, 19% above the median place.

North Puyallup19.4%
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
$53,920
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.4%
5% below the median place
Home price to income
4.5x
19% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$64,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in North Puyallup, $1,348 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 North Puyallup.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to North Puyallup? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
79.3%
19% above the median place
Median year built1
1970
0% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$4,294
32% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3481% below
Rent to income119.4%5% below
Property tax rate11.1%24% above
Home price to income14.5x19% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure111.110% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,06428% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,29432% above
Median home value1$379,20019% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%9% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.5%12% below
Homeownership179.3%19% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure53.0%5% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,10713% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.0%30% below
Median year built119700% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
4.5%
58% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Mean commute31 min +26%
Income per person$47,177 +18%
Median household income$83,489 +4%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$83,4894% above
Income per person1$47,17718% above
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay5County figure$73,97312% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure337,071124% above
Poverty rate14.5%58% below
Mean commute131 min26% above
Works from home1County figure13.9%12% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.8, 29% below the median place.

Household size1
1.8
29% below the median place
Median age1
62.7
61% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
85.7%
7% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,6536646th largest
Median age162.761% above
Bachelor's or higher122.2%31% below
High school or higher195.6%4% above
Household size11.829% below
Born abroad1County figure10.9%23% above
No health insurance1County figure5.9%8% below
Homes with broadband185.7%7% below
05

Life in North Puyallup

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 residents24.2 2.4×
Playgrounds per 10k12.1 +29%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −70%
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
274
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students10
137,738
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k7
22.9
24% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure274above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure137,738above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure18.721% 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 10k824.2138% above
Playgrounds per 10k812.129% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.670% below
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 North Puyallup. 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
MeasureNorth PuyallupAmong 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

North Puyallup in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,348/mo (2024)$1,720/mo$1,410 to $2,090/mo+4.1%
Median household income$83,489 (2024)$107,500$91,000 to $127,500+4.3%
Median home value$379,200 (2024)$591,000$429,000 to $814,000+7.7%

The median home would be worth 5.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.5 now.

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

09

Places like North Puyallup

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

PlaceRentIncome
Mesquite, NV$1,181$75,227Compare
Payson, AZ$1,345$67,710Compare
Little River, SC$1,528$65,786Compare
Ocean Shores, WA$1,284$58,202Compare
Ocean Shores, WALittle River, SCPayson, AZMesquite, NVNorth Puyallup, WANorth PuyallupMesquitePaysonLittle RiverNorth PuyallupMesquitePaysonLittle River

Common questions

Is North Puyallup a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of the 1,242 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 163 Washington places. Households average 1.77 people, smaller than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 190 Washington places. On cost, space and class size it scores 54 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is North Puyallup expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.4% 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 $379,200.

What salary do you need to live in North Puyallup?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $53,920 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to North Puyallup?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Mesquite, NV, Payson, AZ, Little River, SC and Ocean Shores, WA.

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 North Puyallup with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for North Puyallup itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/north-puyallup-washington

Citytistics. “North Puyallup, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/north-puyallup-washington/

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