HomeWashingtonPierce County
Pierce County, Washington: commercial real estate data.
Pierce County, Washington has a population of 930,319 across 1,670 square miles, up 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $64.94 bn in 2024, 20,051 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,468 7(a) approvals worth $816.9 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Pierce County
How many people live in Pierce County
- Population930,319
- Households351,330
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$99,564
- Median age37.0
- Median gross rent$1,806 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$526,600
- Home value to household income5.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over635,580
- Population under 18214,038
- Share under 1823.0 percent
- Population 65 and over137,536
- Share 65 and over14.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64578,745
- Civilian labor force465,747
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.0 percent
- Rank by population among Washington counties2nd of 39
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents59th
Pierce County is the 2nd largest of 39 Washington counties by population. A median home costs 5.3 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.0 percent against 14.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Pierce County
Is Pierce County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.17 percent
- Census 2020 base population921,162
- Births, 202410,878
- Deaths, 20247,678
- Natural change, 20243,200
- Net domestic migration, 2024951
- Net international migration, 20245,263
- Total net migration, 20246,214
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-7,336
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1116th
The county has grown 2.17 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Pierce County
Where people moving to Pierce County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving30,441
- People arriving, from those returns55,012
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.33 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$76,649
- Largest single originPierce County Non-migrants (344,481 households)
- Largest single destination (344,481 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County Non-migrants | 344,481 | 689,858 | $33.20 bn |
| King County | 10,371 | 18,512 | $936.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 4,849 | 8,709 | $313.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 2,130 | 3,953 | $131.6 m |
| Thurston County | 1,707 | 3,148 | $108.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 1,058 | 1,886 | $65.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 999 | 1,753 | $72.0 m |
| Kitsap County | 984 | 1,663 | $71.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Pierce County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Pierce County
What the Pierce County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$64.94 bn
- County GDP, 2023$61.45 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.7 percent
- GDP change over five years34.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Washington counties2nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents89th
- GDP per resident$69,805
Output grew 5.7 percent in the latest year and 34.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Pierce County
Who employs people in Pierce County
- Covered employment, annual average333,492
- Establishments reporting20,820
- Average annual pay$70,395
- Average weekly wage$1,354
- Sector 62, employment56,625
- Sector 62, average annual pay$73,448
- Sector 44-45, employment36,054
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$48,401
- Sector 72, employment29,575
- Sector 72, average annual pay$31,104
- Sector 56, employment24,342
- Sector 56, average annual pay$62,838
- Sector 23, employment23,993
- Sector 48-49, employment20,071
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 56,625 | 2,543 | $73,448 |
| Sector 44-45 | 36,054 | 1,983 | $48,401 |
| Sector 72 | 29,575 | 1,751 | $31,104 |
| Sector 56 | 24,342 | 1,359 | $62,838 |
| Sector 23 | 23,993 | 2,962 | $83,055 |
| Sector 48-49 | 20,071 | 658 | $69,788 |
| Sector 31-33 | 16,381 | 649 | $77,757 |
| Sector 54 | 13,186 | 2,637 | $93,627 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 56,625 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Pierce County
What businesses operate in Pierce County
- Establishments, all industries20,051
- Employment at those establishments294,765
- Annual payroll$18.20 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Pierce County
What is being built in Pierce County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20243,207
- Declared construction value permitted$842.4 m
- Single family units authorised1,731
- Multifamily units authorised1,476
- Multifamily share of units46.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$262,663
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.1
Multifamily is 46.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pierce County
How much SBA lending happens in Pierce County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,468
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$816.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$556,499
- Median 7(a) approval$180,800
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,596,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12,767
- Jobs per approval8.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active107
- Distinct industries receiving approvals303
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms286
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1,129
- Franchise loans145
- Franchise share of approvals9.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (94)
- Most active lenderColumbia Bank (242)
- 504 approvals recorded258
- 504 gross approval dollars$265.2 m
- Average 504 approval$1,027,922
- Median 504 approval$660,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval9.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.0
- Most active CDCEvergreen Business Capital (127)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals85.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$1.08 bn
The average approval of $556,499 sits well above the median of $180,800, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 19.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
Do SBA loans in Pierce County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded311
- Paid in full288
- Charged off23
- Charge off rate on resolved loans7.4 percent
- Status: Paid in full288
- Status: Exempt from disclosure927
- Status: Cancelled173
- Status: Charged off23
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed57
| NAICS | Industry | Resolved loans | Charged off | Charge off rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 722513 | Limited-Service Restaurants | 24 | 1 | 4.2% |
| 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | 21 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 447110 | Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 236118 | Residential Remodelers | 11 | 3 | 27.3% |
Of the 311 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong. Among industries with at least ten resolved loans, Residential Remodelers carries the highest charge off rate at 27.3 percent.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
Which parts of Pierce County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending42
- TACOMA, approvals487
- PUYALLUP, approvals254
- LAKEWOOD, approvals124
- GIG HARBOR, approvals118
- BONNEY LAKE, approvals66
- Sumner, approvals56
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| TACOMA | 487 | $271,416,100 |
| PUYALLUP | 254 | $126,806,700 |
| LAKEWOOD | 124 | $107,804,200 |
| GIG HARBOR | 118 | $51,748,900 |
| BONNEY LAKE | 66 | $24,674,900 |
| Sumner | 56 | $38,994,200 |
| Buckley | 40 | $17,093,700 |
| SPANAWAY | 39 | $26,613,400 |
TACOMA accounts for 487 approvals against 254 in PUYALLUP. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pierce County
How big is Pierce County
- Land area1,670 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Washington counties23rd of 39
- Width, east to west69.1 mi
- Height, north to south46.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land557
- Establishments per square mile12.01
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Pierce County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Pierce County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population930,319
- Households351,330
- Average household size2.65
- Median household income$99,564
- Median age37.0
Common questions
Pierce County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pierce County, Washington?
930,319, in 351,330 households, ranking 2nd of 39 Washington counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pierce County growing?
The population has grown 2.17 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 10,878 births against 7,678 deaths, with net migration of 6,214. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pierce County?
$99,564. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $526,600, which is 5.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,806 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Pierce County?
20,051 establishments, employing 294,765 people with an annual payroll of $18.20 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Pierce County?
Average annual pay is $70,395, or $1,354 a week, across 333,492 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pierce County?
1,468 7(a) approvals totalling $816.9 m since FY2020, across 107 lenders, with a median approval of $180,800, plus 258 504 approvals worth $265.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Pierce County get paid back?
Of the 311 loans that have reached a final outcome, 288 were paid in full and 23 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Pierce County?
3,207 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $842.4 m. Multifamily was 46.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pierce County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Pierce County come from?
The largest single origin is Pierce County Non-migrants, with 344,481 households. Arriving households report an average income of $76,649 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Pierce County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Pierce County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.