Tacoma, WA

The affordability dashboard for Tacoma, WA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 21 ZIP codes covering 322,873 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (48/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $87,292, median home value of $510,065, median rent of $1,753 per month, and 31.4% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,971 per month (studio $1,428, 1BR $1,605, 3BR $2,733, 4BR $3,102). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $17,034 per year, consuming 20% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Pressure points are housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.4% and poverty 11.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.