Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lakewood earns a D, 262nd among Washington's 285 graded towns, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 320 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. Lakewood’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Lakewood is home to Pierce College District. Among 132 Washington towns, just 8 have a higher violent crime rate than Lakewood.
Where Lakewood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1833, comes before those of 99% of the Washington towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 48,195 in 1970, 63,612 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 6 maps from 1948 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Lakewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakewood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
7 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
31 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
32 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lakewood, 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 Lakewood.
Lakewood has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, trades workers with Tacoma and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Reported crimes fell from 3,531 to 1,997 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lakewood’s property crime rate is 26.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Washington’s towns (15) and U.S. towns (9.9). Lakewood reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Clover Park School District. Two of its 30 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 934 | – |
| Clover Park High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,161 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
27 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. Fort Steilacoom Park, at 411 acres with 13.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fort Steilacoom Park | 13.9 mi | 411 |
| 2. South Puget Sound Wildlife Area | 0.9 mi | 71 |
| 3. Seeley Lake Park | 0.7 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lakewood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Mcmillin Rsvr weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 3 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.5°.
Lakewood has mild winters and pleasant summers. Lakewood’s July high is 77°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lakewood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lakewood has about as many jobs (27,089) as working residents, but only 3,486 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Lakewood for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Lakewood grew to 27,089 in 2023, 4,167 more than in 2013. 13% of Lakewood residents live below the poverty line.
| Lakewood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lakewood beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 39% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Lakewood.
| Lakewood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lakewood | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.5% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Lakewood home is worth about $510,000, about the same as a year ago, 13% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Lakewood is $1,525 a month.
| Lakewood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,525 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Lakewood
About 6 of every 100 Lakewood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
2 colleges in town.
9 places in Lakewood on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Lakewood.
City in Washington, United States
Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census. It is the second-largest city in the county, behind Tacoma, and is a suburban bedroom community. Lakewood is adjacent to the McChord AFB portion of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a major military installation for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Lakewood.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Fort Lewis (D) is closest. Steilacoom next door grades higher for schools (A− to Lakewood’s C) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | #262 | D | C | D | C | C+ |
| University Place | #103 | B | D | C | A | A− |
| McChord AFB | #218 | C− | D− | — | C+ | A− |
| Tacoma | #234 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | B |
| Fort Lewis | #250 | D | D− | — | C | B+ |
| North Fort Lewis | #206 | C | D− | — | C | A− |
| Parkland | #216 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
| Steilacoom | #66 | B+ | D | B | A− | B+ |
McChord AFB, Fort Lewis, North Fort Lewis and Parkland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lakewood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lakewood grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #262 of 285 in Washington. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($115,177 across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
8 notable people were born here, including Jermaine Kearse and Craig Lancaster.
