Ashford’s July high is 73°F, below both the Washington town median (77°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 1 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Ashford. Ashford has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Longmire Buildings and Mount Rainier National Park. Ashford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

319 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Eatonville · 14 mi Morton · 19 mi Carbonado · 23 mi Wilkeson · 24 mi

Ashford House · National Register of Historic Places

Ashford’s story

132 years in pictures

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1894Ashford is settled

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Mount St. Helens and 21 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ashford. Close and well known come first.

All 67 attractions →

Big draw39 mi MountainMount St. Helens

4 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year

34 mi LakeSpirit Lake

39 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome

38 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park

37 mi Park & preserveMount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Mount St. Helens: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain · Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Spirit Lake: Matt Logan, Public domain · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: Lyn Topinka, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Ashford: who provides what

Ashford is unincorporated, so Pierce County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPeninsula Light Company11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterAshford Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet2 providers5% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesPierce CountyPierce County provides services here

SchoolsEatonville School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections herePierce County AuditorPierce County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024

ZIP code9830498304 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Ashford.

Who lives here

More middle-aged adults than Washington overall

Adults 35 to 64 are 55% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 6% of residents (21% statewide). 45% of Ashford adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, above both Washington’s towns (30%) and U.S. towns (29%).

58median age · WA 38.3

AshfordWashingtonUnited States

WAU.S.

Ages · share of residents

26%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%

High school14%

Some college37%

Associate’s4%

Bachelor’s40%

Graduate6%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 16% and 82% women

The Census survey reached too few of Ashford’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±33.2 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Ashford
	Ashford	WA	U.S.
Under 10	0%	11.5%	11.6%
10 to 17	5.6%	9.9%	10.3%
18 to 24	0%	8.5%	9.1%
25 to 34	14.4%	15.2%	13.7%
35 to 44	25.4%	14.3%	13.2%
45 to 54	4.1%	12%	12.2%
55 to 64	25.7%	12%	12.7%
65 to 74	0%	10.1%	10.2%
75 and older	24.8%	6.5%	7%
No diploma	0%	7.7%	10.4%
High school	13.6%	21.6%	26%
Some college	36.9%	21%	19.1%
Associate’s	4.3%	10%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	39.5%	24%	21.6%
Graduate	5.6%	15.6%	14.1%

Full pageAshford by the numbersOpen the page

Ages58 median age · 25% are 65 or older Schooling45% have a four-year degree Homes100% own their home · Homeowners Income$114K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points

Natural hazards

Ashford faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.

81risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

AvalanchesInland floodingEarthquakes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageAshford’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Ashford Get ready0.9 events a year, on average · Ready for avalanches

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Housing

The typical home in Ashford is valued at about $375K

The typical Ashford home is worth about $375,000, up 1.5% in a year, 36% below the Washington typical home.

$375KZillow home value

Typical home value

Ashford$375K

Washington$588K

+1.5%

value change, 1 year

Full pageAshford’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 1.5% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.3 years of income RentsRents

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

In Ashford, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers

Ashford has mild, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Ashford is 30°F.

143″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter29–40°

Spring35–52°

Summer47–70°

Fall39–55°

Oct 3

typical first frost

May 22

typical last frost

+1.0°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageAshford’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 73°, January lows 30°Rain & snow143″ of snow a winter · 108 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

With 0.8 jobs for every working resident, most of Ashford’s workers commute out

Most working residents leave Ashford for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Eatonville (17%), Tacoma (9%) and Puyallup (7%). Half commute less than 39 miles.

1%work in town

Where working residents work

In Ashford1%

Eatonville17%

Tacoma9%

Puyallup7%

Lakewood3%

39 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Ashford

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageAshford’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here89 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work1% work in Ashford Commute timesCommute times How far they goHalf commute less than 39 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

Compared with most of Washington and the rest of the country, more of Ashford’s adults have high blood pressure

41% of adults have high blood pressure in Ashford. Ashford beats the Washington average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 40% of adults have obesity in Ashford.