Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 58,833, settled in 1891.
Lacey grades C overall, ranked 177th of 285 in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns and it has 20 miles of trail. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $507K, 5.3 years of the Olympia metro’s $97K median household income. Lacey is home to Saint Martin's University. 17% of working residents work locally in Lacey, where Washington’s towns sit at 4.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Lacey has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Long Lake Recreation Hall and Union Mills Superintendent's House.
Where Lacey beats most towns.
42,393 counted in 2010 and 53,526 in 2020; an estimated 58,833 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Lacey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,630 in 1960, 53,526 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 7 maps from 1937 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lacey, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Lacey.
Lacey fares better on crime within Washington than nationally, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington.
The trail density in Lacey is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Greg J. Cuoio Community Park, 325 acres with 2.3 miles of trail.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greg J. Cuoio Community Park | 2.3 mi | 325 |
| 2. Woodland Creek Community Park | 1.5 mi | 55 |
| 3. Wonderwood Park | 1.1 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the North Thurston Public Schools. Two of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nisqually Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 789 | – |
| River Ridge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,547 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
At 32.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 61% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,857 to 1,258 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lacey’s property crime rate is 19.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.1 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Washington it is healthier than 50% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Lacey beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 68% of adults had a checkup this year in Lacey. Among 285 Washington towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Lacey.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 71% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lacey | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.3% | 16.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 27.3% | 24.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lacey since 1999.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 77.6°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.7°.
Lacey has mild winters and pleasant summers. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 18,455 in 2013 to 27,276.
Jobs based in Lacey grew to 27,276 in 2023, 8,821 more than in 2013. 12% of Lacey residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Olympia (22%), Tumwater (8%) and Seattle (7%).
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Lacey home is worth about $507,000, about the same as a year ago, 14% below the Washington typical home.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,870 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (38% statewide). Lacey has grown 4.4% since 2020, to 58,833 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Lacey | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.3 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.5, men 35.4.
| Lacey | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.1% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.8% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lacey. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
37 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year
28 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
37 mi MuseumUSS Turner Joy
20 mi Stadium & arenaCheney Stadium
22 mi GardenPoint Defiance ParkTacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · USS Turner Joy: Keysgoclick, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cheney Stadium: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Point Defiance Park: Crash Dalco, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lacey
About 6 of every 100 Lacey residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
2 places in Lacey on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 census, making it the 24th most populous city in Washington. Lacey is located along Interstate 5 between Olympia and the Nisqually River, which marks the border with Pierce County and Joint Base Lewis–McChord.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lacey.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacey | #177 | C | D | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Olympia | #173 | C+ | D | D | A | A− |
| Tanglewilde | #119 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
Tanglewilde reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lacey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lacey grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #177 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
