CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

47.14° N · 122.14° W · GEOID 5356170

Prairie Ridge

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

WashingtonPrairie Ridge, WAPrairie RidgePrairie Ridge

The short answer

Prairie Ridge is home to 12,074 people. Median household income is $114,356 a year and median rent is $1,965 a month, 20.6% 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 $462,000, about 4.0x annual median household income.

Prairie Ridge stands out on how people work. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 245 hours a year commuting, more than in 96% of places its size. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 93% of places its size. It is the lowest of 190 Washington places we track.

9OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Prairie Ridge scores better than 9% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 185th of 190 in Washington.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%46
Economy 20%56
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%12
Education 10%8
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
$1,965
44% above the median place
Median household income
$114,356
42% above the median place
Median home value
$462,000
45% above the median place
Unemployment
5.8%
20% 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.

01

Moving to Prairie Ridge

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
2.9% 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
$78,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,965 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,194 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $462,000.
Getting to work
36 minutes each way on average; 12.5% work from home; 2.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Manchester, WA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
2.9%
49% 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
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year12.9%49% 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 only about $229 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 82% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Prairie Ridge20.6%
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
$78,600
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.6%
1% above the median place
Home price to income
4.0x
6% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$87,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Prairie Ridge, $1,965 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 Prairie Ridge, but easier on the budget

Places that match Prairie Ridge 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
Manchester, WA8716.5% vs 20.6%$16,600Compare
Spring Creek, NV8115.8% vs 20.6%n/aCompare
St. Francis, MN7913.9% vs 20.6%$4,400Compare
Channahon, IL7817.2% vs 20.6%$9,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Prairie Ridge.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Prairie Ridge? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
88.3%
33% above the median place
Median year built1
1993
1% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
56.7%
12% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,96544% above
Rent to income120.6%1% above
Property tax rate10.8%9% below
Home price to income14.0x6% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure111.110% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,06428% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,82517% above
Median home value1$462,00045% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%9% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.5%12% below
Homeownership188.3%33% above
Renters paying 30%+156.7%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,19417% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.0%30% below
Median year built119931% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 36 min, 46% above the median place.

Mean commute1
36 min
46% above the median place
Poverty rate1
3.7%
66% below the median place
Median household income1
$114,356
42% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$50,085 +25%
Unemployment5.8% +20%
Works from home12.5% +0%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$114,35642% above
Income per person1$50,08525% above
Unemployment15.8%20% above
Average annual pay5County figure$73,97312% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure337,071124% above
Poverty rate13.7%66% below
Mean commute136 min46% above
Works from home112.5%0% above
Commutes by transit1County figure2.1%152% above
04

Who lives here

14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 92% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Homes with broadband1
98.1%
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
14.3%
55% below the median place
Household size1
2.8
11% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age36.3 −7%
Born abroad6.5% −26%
No health insurance7.1% +11%
High school or higher92.5% +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,0743577th largest
Median age136.37% below
Bachelor's or higher114.3%55% below
High school or higher192.5%0% above
Household size12.811% above
Born abroad16.5%26% below
No health insurance17.1%11% above
Homes with broadband198.1%6% above
05

Life in Prairie Ridge

About 0 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, fewer than in 84% 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 residents16.6 +63%
Playgrounds per 10k14.9 +58%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Mount Rainier National Park 27 miles
  • Mount Rainier Wilderness 28 miles
  • Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve 78 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.

Nearest National Park Service site9
27.4
11% below the median place
Public schools11
274
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
137,738
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure274above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure137,738above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County 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 10k816.663% above
Playgrounds per 10k814.958% 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 trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site927.411% below
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 Prairie Ridge. 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
MeasurePrairie RidgeAmong 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

Prairie Ridge in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% 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, Prairie Ridge does better than 45% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 81%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,965/mo (2024)$2,530/mo$2,080 to $3,090/mo+4.3%
Median household income$114,356 (2024)$146,000$123,500 to $173,000+4.2%
Median home value$462,000 (2024)$680,000$493,000 to $936,000+6.6%

The median home would be worth 4.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.0 now.

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

09

Places like Prairie Ridge

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

PlaceRentIncome
Central Islip, NY$2,071$113,707Compare
Summit View, WA$1,887$108,806Compare
Elk Plain, WA$2,172$107,313Compare
South San Jose Hills, CA$1,884$94,806Compare
South San Jose Hills, CAElk Plain, WASummit View, WACentral Islip, NYPrairie Ridge, WAPrairie RidgeCentral IslipSummit ViewSouth San Jose HillsPrairie RidgeCentral IslipElk PlainSouth San Jose Hills

Places built like Prairie Ridge

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 Prairie Ridge performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Prairie Ridge, WA20.6%6.0%/yrn/a
Elk Plain, WA24.3%8.9%/yrn/aCompare
Meadow Lakes, AK20.2%3.5%/yrn/aCompare
Silver Lakes, CA17.8%10.8%/yrn/aCompare
North Lakes, AK17.0%6.2%/yrn/aCompare
Orting, WA20.6%10.5%/yr-1.6%Compare
Tanaina, AK15.9%6.5%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Prairie Ridge a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 9 out of 100, better than 9% of the places we rate and 185th of 190 in Washington. On cost, space and class size it scores 88 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Prairie Ridge expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.6% 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 $462,000.

What salary do you need to live in Prairie Ridge?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $78,600 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Prairie Ridge?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Central Islip, NY, Summit View, WA, Elk Plain, WA and South San Jose Hills, CA.

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

Citytistics. “Prairie Ridge, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/prairie-ridge-washington/

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