McChord AFBWA
A town of 2,999.
What should you know before moving to McChord AFB?
The typical home is worth about , years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 218th of 285 graded towns in Washington. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. McChord AFB’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, below both Washington’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On cost of living, just 4 of Washington’s 395 towns do worse. McChord Field Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
What makes McChord AFB stand out
Where McChord AFB beats most towns.
| Widest gap | McChord AFB | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.8% | 7.9% |
McChord AFB has grown 27% from 2010 to 2020
2,507 counted in 2010 and 3,188 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How McChord AFB grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far McChord AFB is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Space Needle and 123 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McChord AFB. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
8 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
33 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
13 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme ParkPhoto credits
Space 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 · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
Moving to McChord AFB: who provides what
McChord AFB is unincorporated, so Pierce County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 McChord AFB.
McChord AFB has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Washington norm.
McChord AFB’s public schools trail 63% of Washington districts
Its public schools are run by the Clover Park School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 420 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
McChord AFB stands out in Washington and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have diabetes
Against the 7,363 U.S. towns with household incomes like McChord AFB’s, it is healthier than 99%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its A− for health tops all 3 graded neighbors; Spanaway (C+) comes closest.
3.5% of McChord AFB adults have diabetes. Only 3 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than McChord AFB. 30% of McChord AFB adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| McChord AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 3.5% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | McChord AFB | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.8% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.4% | 5.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.1% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McChord AFB has four seasons and pleasant summers
The Mcmillin Rsvr weather station, 11 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 35.7°.
McChord AFB has mild winters and pleasant summers. The July high in McChord AFB is 77°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| McChord AFB | 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
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents commute out of McChord AFB
Jobs based here fell from 669 in 2013 to 473. The average commute for its 473 working residents takes 13.6 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave McChord AFB for work: only 2% work in town. McChord AFB’s median household income is $55,000. Jobs based in McChord AFB fell to 473 in 2023, 196 fewer than in 2013.
| McChord AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Earthquakes leads a high hazard risk in McChord AFB
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| McChord AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carter Lake Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Memorial Field | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about McChord AFB
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of McChord AFB
About 9 of every 100 McChord AFB residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
About McChord AFB
Military airfield of McChord Air Force Base, Washington, USA
McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the airbase's primary mission being worldwide strategic airlift. The McChord AFB facility was consolidated with the U.S. Army's Fort Lewis on 1 February 2010 to become part of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord complex. This initiative was driven by the Base Realignment and Closure Round in 2005 and is designed to combine current infrastructure into one maximizing war fighting capability and efficiency, while saving taxpayer dollars.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 322 ft
- ZIP code
- 98438
McChord AFB’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with McChord AFB.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McChord AFB | #218 | C− | D− | — | C+ | A− |
| Lakewood | #262 | D | C | D | C | C+ |
| Parkland | #216 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
| Spanaway | #180 | C | C | — | C+ | C+ |
McChord AFB, Parkland and Spanaway report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare McChord AFB with a neighbor →
Questions about McChord AFB
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is McChord AFB, WA a good place to live?
McChord AFB grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #218 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.