The best of Clear Lake’s subject grades are an A− for the outdoors and a B for incomes; the weakest is a D for cost of living. Clear Lake’s typical journey to work is 36 minutes, above both the Washington town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 4 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Clear Lake. 12% of the land in Clear Lake is conserved, above both the Washington town median (4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, at 708 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Clear Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestA⁻OutdoorsWeakestDCost of living C⁻Hazard risk

Small town

1,271 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns

Eatonville · 4 mi Roy · 12 mi Orting · 12 mi Carbonado · 16 mi Yelm · 16 mi Wilkeson · 17 mi

KapowsinClear Lake

How Clear Lake grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Clear Lake is from typical.

How grading works

Cost of livingTypical home $789K, 6.8 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listC⁻Open →Jobs & income$96K median household income; 46 jobs based hereBOpen →SchoolsBehind 59% of Washington districts on tests and graduationC⁺Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.2 of 20; 17.1% of households have no car; 14.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →HealthMulticare Good Samaritan Hospital 17.2 miles awayB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors3 miles of trailsA⁻Open →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

ClimateCold winters, 78° summer afternoons, 6″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.5; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Clear Lake: who provides what

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

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

WaterClear Lake Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet5 providers83% 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 codes98328, 9833898328 96% · 98338 4%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 Clear Lake.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B

With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Clear Lake work out of town

Half of commuters travel less than 24 miles. The top destinations are Tacoma (11%), Seattle (8%) and Puyallup (6%). The share of residents in Clear Lake who live below the poverty line: 6.6%.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Clear Lake0%

Tacoma11%

Seattle8%

Puyallup6%

Eatonville5%

24 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Clear Lake

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns

Full pageClear Lake’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here46 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work0% work in Clear Lake Commute times36 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 24 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C⁻

High risk in Clear Lake, with earthquakes at the top

Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 69% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 41% of Clear Lake’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 36% to inland flooding.

69risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

EarthquakesInland floodingCold waves

Full pageClear Lake’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters22 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get readyReady for earthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Clear Lake

Clear Lake’s July high is 77°F.

6″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter34–47°

Spring40–59°

Summer51–75°

Fall43–60°

Oct 30

typical first frost

Apr 11

typical last frost

+1.1°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageClear Lake’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 77°, January lows 35°Rain & snow6″ of snow a winter · 44 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.1° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsA⁻

Protected land: 12.2% of Clear Lake

Count the trails in 3 parks and preserves and they come to 2.6 miles. The trail density for Clear Lake comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.

12.2%conserved

12.2%

conserved · 709 of 5,834 acres

2.6 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park	1.4 mi	708
2. Tanwax Public Access Area	—	2
3. Clear Lake Access Area	—	1

Full pageClear Lake’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map2.6 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk1.4 miles of trail · Northwest Trek Wildlife Park Conserved land12.2% conserved · 709 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Clear Lake?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HealthB⁻

Clear Lake ranks healthier than 51% of the country’s towns

28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Clear Lake. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Clear Lake is ahead of Washington on 1 and behind on 14.

51%healthier than U.S. townsB⁻Health Grade

	Clear Lake	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	13%	14%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	28%	26%	23%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	72%	71%	79%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	38%	33%	35%

31 measures vs. Washington

1 better16 too close to call14 worse

What stands out	Clear Lake	WA
More adults treating high blood pressure	73.4%	70.7%
More smokers	13.6%	10.1%

Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital

17.2 mi away · emergency room

None

primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

Full pageClear Lake’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby17.2 miles to an ER · Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than WA on 1 of 31

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Nearby attractions

Mount Rainier National Park and 33 more within 40 miles

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

All 144 attractions →

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

22 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome

24 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park in town Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park

38 mi Ski areaCrystal Mountain86 runs · 2,389 ft vertical

23 mi Stadium & arenaCheney Stadium

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

Photo credits

Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Crystal Mountain: ZhengZhou, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cheney Stadium: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Clear Lake

16pages on Clear Lake

The big questions

SchoolsC⁺Behind 59% of WA districts HealthB⁻Better than WA on 1 of 31 CDC measures Cost of livingDWork & commuteB$96K median household income · 46 jobs here Natural hazardsC⁻FEMA risk higher than 69% of U.S. communities · earthquakes

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻3 mi of trails · 12% conserved land PlacesAttractions144 nearby · Northwest Trek Wildlife Park under 1 mi LibraryEatonville Library Colleges

The story

Climate78° summer highs · 6″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Clear Lake; the nearest are

Pacific Lutheran UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tacoma16.3 mi$52,254 tuition University of Washington-Tacoma CampusUniversity or college · Public · Tacoma22.7 mi$13,168 in-state tuition Clatsop Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Astoria, OR88.6 mi$5,110 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Clear Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A growing town

Clear Lake has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020

1,419 counted in 2010 and 1,578 in 2020.

1,4192010

1,5782020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

About Clear Lake

Place in Washington, United States

Clear Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, north of the town of Eatonville. The population was 1,419 as of the 2010 census. The name comes from that of the lake of the same name located in the middle of the census-designated place.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 9.1 sq mi
Elevation: 830 ft
Area code: 253, 360

Questions about Clear Lake

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Clear Lake, WA expensive?

Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.

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