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The Graham handbook

Living in Graham, WA: what to set up and who to call

Graham has no town government of its own, so Pierce County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Bethel School District. Power in Graham comes from Peninsula Light Company, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.

Graham has no town government. It’s a census-designated place in Pierce County, so the county and regional agencies provide most services. This page answers what we can; the same answers appear on Graham’s town page under “Getting set up”.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Graham, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Graham.

Electricity

Power comes from Peninsula Light Company

Peninsula Light Company (Peninsula Light Company), a cooperative utility, serves 61.4% of Graham residents. Its homes paid an average of 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $138 a month (its average across Washington).

Start or move service: www.penlight.org · (253) 857-5950

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Southwood water system

The Southwood water system supplies Graham: about 56% of residents live in its service area. Firgrove Mutual Inc serves another 16%. Graham Hill Mutual Water Co Inc serves another 9%. About 12% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Firgrove Mutual Inc and Lakewood Water District and City of Tacoma Water Division as sellers) and serves 64,155 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.

Lead, 90th percentile1.6 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.5 ppb. That’s higher than 59% of similar systems’ latest results.

The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report

EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. WA5382844.

Internet

7 home internet providers serve Graham

90% of 12,045 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 3% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
XfinityCable88%2,000/250
CenturyLinkDSL, Fiber41%100/10
Quantum FiberFiber8%2,000/1,000
LightcurveCable, DSL7%1,000/20
VerizonFixed wireless41%300/20
T-MobileFixed wireless33%100/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

Graham has its own drop-off: Land Recovery Recycling Center

Where to take trash and recycling in Graham, and where the rules are.

Drop-off · run by not listed

Land Recovery Recycling Center

Before you go, check the rules with the town.

OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Apr 2019). © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Graham kids go to
K–56 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–82 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–12Graham Kapowsin High SchoolBethel School District

Most of Graham (91%) is in Bethel School District; parts are in Orting School District (8%).

C+School gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

No town hall: the county runs things

Graham is unincorporated, so Pierce County is the local government.

Local governmentPierce CountyGraham is a census-designated place: no town hall of its ownCensus
Who runs elections herePierce County AuditorElections here are run by Pierce County (county election office). 2501 S 35th St, Ste C, Tacoma, WA 98409-7484 · (253) 798-8683 · [email protected]FVAP, Sep 2024
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.govCheck your registration and polling placevoter.votewa.govThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

ZIP codes & area codes

Graham spans 3 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Graham residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of GrahamZIP’s residents in Graham
98338Graham, WA71%77%
98387Spanaway, WA17%11%
98374Puyallup, WA12%9%

A few homes fall in 98360.

Area code253Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

Getting around, the ER and the library

One line each; the subject pages have the rest.

ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.

Questions about living in Graham

Who supplies Graham’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The Southwood water system (EPA ID WA5382844). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.6 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Graham?

Peninsula Light Company (Peninsula Light Company), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Graham?

Xfinity, CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber, Lightcurve, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Graham?

98338 (71%), 98387 (17%), 98374 (12%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Graham in?

Bethel School District. Parts of the city are in Orting School District.

How do I register to vote in Graham?

In 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). Elections here are run by the Pierce County Auditor. Check your registration at voter.votewa.gov.

Sources & dates

Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.

  • Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
  • Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
  • Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
  • ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
  • Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
  • Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
  • Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
  • Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.