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
AshfordWA
319 people live in this town, settled in 1894.
Mount Rainier National Park · Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
319
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$375K
+1.5% in a year
Household income
$114K
median
Median age
58.0
years
Jobs based here
89
Balanced
Is Ashford a good place to live?
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 one of the 286 Washington towns we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners 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
Nearby attractions
All 67 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.
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 MonumentSources: 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
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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
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.govWho 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). Among adults 25 and older in Ashford, 45% hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
58median age · WA 38.3
AshfordWashingtonUnited States
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.
| 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% |
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
The biggest natural risk in Ashford is avalanches, at a very high overall level
Households in Ashford have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. On expected storm and flood damage, Ashford sits above 81% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Ashford break down as 67% from avalanches and 18% from inland flooding.
81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingEarthquakes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
The typical home in Ashford: about $375K
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 1.5%.
$375KZillow home value
Typical home value
Ashford$375K
Washington$588K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
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
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Most of Ashford’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.8 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Eatonville (17%), Tacoma (9%) and Puyallup (7%). For most workers, Ashford is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The median commute is under 39 miles.
1%work in town
Where working residents work
In Ashford1%
Eatonville17%
Tacoma9%
Puyallup7%
Lakewood3%
39 mi
median commute distance
89
jobs based in Ashford
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
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
In Ashford, 15% of adults smoke cigarettes. The town beats the Washington average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 17% of adults in Ashford report frequent physical distress; 40% have obesity.
| Ashford | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 9.8% | 12% |
31 measures vs. Washington
3 better14 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Ashford | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.5% | 70.7% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 74.2% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 5.1% |
Arbor Health Morton Hospital
18.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Ashford has set aside 7.8% of its land for conservation
The biggest park or preserve is Ashford County Park and Amphitheatre, at 61 acres. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.4 miles of trail. The town’s density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
7.8%conserved
| Ashford | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
7.8%
conserved · 123 of 1,584 acres
1.4 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ashford County Park and Amphitheatre | 0.7 mi | 61 |
| 2. Mount Rainier Gateway Protected Area | — | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ashford
16pages on Ashford
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ashford; the nearest are
Pacific Lutheran UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tacoma33.6 mi$52,254 tuitionUniversity of Washington-Tacoma CampusUniversity or college · Public · Tacoma39.3 mi$13,168 in-state tuitionColumbia Gorge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · The Dalles, OR89.6 mi$5,940 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Ashford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Questions about Ashford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ashford, WA a good place to live?
Ashford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.