Glencove Hotel · National Register of Historic Places
Key Center’s story
Key Center in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Key CenterWA
A town of 3,544. Public schools that outperform most of Washington.
4 bordering townsMap →
Glencove Hotel · Photo: garann · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
3,544
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$613K
Census ACS
Household income
$106K
median
Median age
45.9
years
Jobs based here
527
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#139 of 285 in WA
Is Key Center a good place to live?
Key Center grades B− overall, 139th of 285 graded towns in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 88% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation and it has 9 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Key Center’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both the Washington town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Glencove Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
What makes Key Center stand out
Where Key Center beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Key Center for work
Where Key Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
527jobs based in Key Center
3%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Key Center grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Key Center is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.9 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $613K, 5.3 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household incomeC+Open →HealthSt. Anthony Hospital 6.7 miles awayB−Open →Jobs & incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 151 attractions →Space Needle and 127 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Key Center. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw29 mi National ParkOlympic National Park3.6M visitors a year
27 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
27 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSources: 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 Key Center: who provides what
Key Center is unincorporated, so Pierce County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPeninsula Light Company11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Minterwood water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers82% 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 codes98329, 98394, 9834998329 63% · 98394 24% · 98349 13%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 Key Center.
Key Center has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Washington; it also has commutes longer than most of Washington.
SchoolsA
Key Center earns an A for schools
Its public schools are run by the Peninsula School District. Its one school is below.
88%of WA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Peninsula Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 444 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Key Center
Since 2009, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Key Center.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
3
paid flood claims since 2009
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Key Center has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The average commute for its 1,341 working residents takes 36.1 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington. Jobs based here grew from 352 in 2013 to 527.
Most working residents leave Key Center for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Key Center has added 175 jobs, to 527 in 2023. Key Center’s median household income is $106,000.
3%work in town
| Key Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $106,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Key Center3%
Tacoma13%
Seattle13%
Gig Harbor8%
Purdy4%
20 mi
median commute distance
527
jobs based in Key Center
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA−
8.3% of Key Center is conserved land
8.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Key Central Forest, at 525 acres with 5.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
#165for trails in WA
| Key Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
8.3%
conserved · 781 of 9,387 acres
8.6 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Key Central Forest | 5.8 mi | 525 |
| 2. Haley State Park Property | 1.4 mi | 226 |
| 3. Volunteer Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
In Key Center, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 77.3°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.7°.
Key Center has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Key Center is 77°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
78°summer high
| Key Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–48°
Spring42–60°
Summer53–75°
Fall44–61°
Nov 21
typical first frost
Mar 11
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
78°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than Washington overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). 20% of Key Center residents are 65 or older. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
45.9median age · WA 38.3
| Key Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.9 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
Key CenterWashingtonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school23%
Some college28%
Associate’s16%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate11%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.6 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Key Center | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.5% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.8% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.7% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,500, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB−
Key Center ranks healthier than 54% of the country’s towns
Within Washington it is less healthy than 80% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar. Against the 7,766 U.S. towns with household incomes like Key Center’s, it is less healthy than 73%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Key Center beats the Washington average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Key Center.
54%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Key Center | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Washington
5 better12 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Key Center | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 8.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.1% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.9% | 5.1% |
St. Anthony Hospital
6.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
20th
percentile among WA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C+
The median home in Key Center sells for about $567K
$567Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Key Center
17pages on Key Center
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Key Center
Faith International UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tacoma11.2 mi$8,850 tuitionTacoma Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Tacoma11.8 mi$5,507 in-state tuitionUniversity of Puget SoundUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tacoma13.3 mi$62,898 tuition
About 6 of every 100 Key Center residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Key Center
CDP in Washington, United States
Key Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, Key Center had a population of 3,863. The community is located on Key Peninsula.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 15 sq mi
- Elevation
- 203 ft
- Area code
- 253
Key Center’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Key Center.
HomeStansberry LakeWaunaVaughnKey Center
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key Center | #139 | B− | C+ | — | A | B− |
| Home | — | — | B− | — | A | B− |
| Stansberry Lake | — | — | B− | — | A | B+ |
| Wauna | #60 | B+ | C | — | A | B+ |
| Vaughn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Home and Stansberry Lake have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Key Center, Home, Stansberry Lake and Wauna report no FBI crime data of their own. Vaughn isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Key Center with a neighbor →
Questions about Key Center
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Key Center, WA a good place to live?
Key Center grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #139 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Key Center, WA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $613,000, 4% above the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.