The 10 Worst Tacoma Suburbs

Source: Wikipedia User Joe Mabel | GFDL

$78,381 median income · $575,995 median home price

Located in King County, Washington

Median income -20% vs WA

$78,381

WA $98k

Median home value -4% vs WA

$575,995

WA $601k

Unemployment +25% vs WA

6.4%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +31% vs WA

13.0%

WA 9.9%

We’ll get the ball rolling with Tukwila, the absolute worst place to live around Tacoma according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Tukwila beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 3rd worst in the Tacoma area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 16th worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Tukwila.

You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Wikipedia User brewbooks from near Seattle, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

$85,332 median income · $538,000 median home price

Located in King County, Washington

Median income -13% vs WA

$85,332

WA $98k

Median home value -10% vs WA

$538,000

WA $601k

Unemployment +84% vs WA

9.4%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +22% vs WA

12.1%

WA 9.9%

Welcome to Algona. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 10.0 miles to Tacoma. Income levels here are the 6th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $85,332 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Public domain

$74,940 median income · $483,132 median home price

Located in Kitsap County, Washington

Median income -24% vs WA

$74,940

WA $98k

Median home value -20% vs WA

$483,132

WA $601k

Unemployment +12% vs WA

5.7%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +39% vs WA

13.8%

WA 9.9%

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Tacoma suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Bremerton on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Tacoma suburbs.

But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Wikipedia User SounderBruce from Seattle, United States | CC BY-SA 2.0

$81,104 median income · $553,220 median home price

Located in King County, Washington

Median income -17% vs WA

$81,104

WA $98k

Median home value -8% vs WA

$553,220

WA $601k

Unemployment +37% vs WA

7.0%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate -6% vs WA

9.3%

WA 9.9%

If you live in SeaTac, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 4th lowest Tacoma suburb for median household incomes.

Not only that, but this is the 6th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Tacoma. Remember, we looked at 45 cities for this study.

SeaTac is about 15.2 miles to downtown.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Wikipedia User Kgrr | CC BY-SA 3.0

$74,720 median income · $521,148 median home price

Located in Pierce County, Washington

Median income -24% vs WA

$74,720

WA $98k

Median home value -13% vs WA

$521,148

WA $601k

Unemployment +12% vs WA

5.7%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +33% vs WA

13.2%

WA 9.9%

Lakewood has the distinction of being a Tacoma suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Lakewood has the 5th lowest home values in the metro Tacoma area, where the median price is $521,148. The median income is $250,001.

Lakewood has an unemployment rate of 5.7% which ranks 14th worst.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Wikipedia User SounderBruce | CC BY-SA 4.0

$90,532 median income · $557,639 median home price

Located in Pierce County, Washington

Median income -8% vs WA

$90,532

WA $98k

Median home value -7% vs WA

$557,639

WA $601k

Unemployment +2% vs WA

5.2%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +13% vs WA

11.2%

WA 9.9%

Fife has 10,949 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 11.2%.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Wikipedia User Patrick | CC BY-SA 3.0

$81,302 median income · $533,713 median home price

Located in Thurston County, Washington

Median income -17% vs WA

$81,302

WA $98k

Median home value -11% vs WA

$533,713

WA $601k

Unemployment +43% vs WA

7.3%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +41% vs WA

14.0%

WA 9.9%

Ah, Olympia. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Tacoma.

It’s the place with the 3rd most out of work residents in the Tacoma metro area (7.3%).

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Rainier is a city about 27.1 miles from Tacoma, but Tacoma probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Rainier has the 3most uninsured people, 23rd worst incomes, and has the 22nd highest unemployment rate (5.0%) in the entire Tacoma metro area.

Homes only cost $519,679 for a reason. That’s cheap for Tacoma standards.

Data

Source: Wikipedia User No machine-readable author provided. Wikidude775~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). | GFDL

$91,318 median income · $650,469 median home price

Located in King County, Washington

Median income -7% vs WA

$91,318

WA $98k

Median home value +8% vs WA

$650,469

WA $601k

Unemployment +37% vs WA

7.0%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +30% vs WA

12.9%

WA 9.9%

If you absolutely have to live near Tacoma, then Burien might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Tacoma suburb.

About 7.0% of residents are out of work.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

Source: Public domain

$92,302 median income · $656,314 median home price

Located in King County, Washington

Median income -6% vs WA

$92,302

WA $98k

Median home value +9% vs WA

$656,314

WA $601k

Unemployment +37% vs WA

7.0%

WA 5.1%

Poverty rate +9% vs WA

10.8%

WA 9.9%

Rounding out the ten worst Tacoma suburbs to call home is Kent.

Located 14.9 miles outside the city, Kent is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 4th highest unemployment rate (7.0%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers