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Herron Island
Washington›Pierce County

Herron IslandWA

Some 119 people live in this town, in Washington.

Harstine Island Community Hall · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Herron Island

Herron Island, WA · Harstine Island Community Hall · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0

Is Herron Island a good place to live?

Herron Island’s midpoint age is 69.3 years, where Washington’s towns sit at 38.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Among 286 Washington towns, just one has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Herron Island. Herron Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

119 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Herron Island.

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Herron Island is earthquakes, at a very high overall level

81risk score of 100

Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 65% come from earthquakes and 25% from inland flooding. Herron Island’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 81 of 100.

FEMA risk score
81Very high riskLowerHigher
EarthquakesInland floodingCoastal flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Herron Island has mild winters and pleasant summers

78°summer high

For Herron Island, the July high is 77°F.

Typical low → high °F

Winter35–47°
Spring41–60°
Summer53–75°
Fall44–61°
Nov 21
typical first frost
Mar 11
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
78°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

Most working residents commute out of Herron Island

0%work in town

Since 2013, Herron Island has added 53 jobs, to 55 in 2023. The top destinations are Seattle (18%), Tacoma (11%) and Purdy (7%). Half commute less than 27 miles.

Where working residents work

In Herron Island0%
Seattle18%
Tacoma11%
Purdy7%
Gig Harbor5%
27 mi
median commute distance
55
jobs based in Herron Island
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

Herron Island stands out in Washington and nationally: a smaller share of its adults binge drink

Among adults in Herron Island, 49% have high blood pressure and 17% have diabetes. CDC measures, 31 in all: Herron Island beats Washington on 11 and trails on 13. In Herron Island, 32% of adults sleep under 7 hours.

Herron IslandWashington townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)11%17%16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)49%31%35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)17%9.8%12%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)18%13%14%
31 measures vs. Washington
11 better7 too close to call13 worse
What stands outHerron IslandWA
Fewer binge drinkers11.1%16.6%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity7.8%9.9%
More adults who have had cancer15.4%7.9%
St. Anthony Hospital
12.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

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

1
homes sold in September

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Herron Island

14pages on Herron Island
Nearby attractions

Space Needle and 125 more within 40 miles

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

All 149 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Space Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Olympic National Park: Wsiegmund, CC BY 2.5 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Herron Island: who provides what

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

PowerPeninsula Light Company11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHmc Management Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesPierce CountyPierce County provides services here
SchoolsPeninsula 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 code9834998349 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.

After high school

Colleges nearby

4 within 15 miles of the center of Herron Island

About Herron Island

Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Official town website ↗

Herron Island is an island and census-designated place in central Case Inlet in the southern part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The Pierce County island has a land area of 1.2326 km2 (304.57 acres) and a population of 151 persons as of the 2010 census. Herron Island is one of the few privately owned islands in Puget Sound. All access to the island is by boat, mostly aboard the HMC ferry, the "Charlie Wells", and a guest pass signed by an HMC member is necessary to board the ferry. The island is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long, and 1/2 mile (800 m) across. Corporate properties include the North Beach Park and small boat docks, the South Beach (undeveloped), roads and rights of wa…

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

Area
0.5 sq mi
Elevation
112 ft
ZIP code
98349
Area code
253

Questions about Herron Island

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Herron Island, WA a good place to live?

Herron Island has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Some 119 people live in this town, in Washington.

Herron Island is in here

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