What should you know before moving to McChord AFB?
The weak point is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about , years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. At C− overall, McChord AFB is better than just over a fifth of U.S. towns and ranks 218th of 285 in Washington. It lags on schools as well: its public schools trail 63% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Where it does best is health — residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. McChord Field Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The town’s average commute is 14 minutes, below both Washington’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Its trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). 33% of residents are under 18 in the town, where Washington’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
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 →
What makes McChord AFB stand out
Where McChord AFB beats most towns.
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
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.
For schools, McChord AFB earns a C+
Its one school is below. The Clover Park School District runs its public schools. 420 students attend McChord AFB’s public school.
| 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.
McChord AFB: 10% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Among 285 Washington towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than McChord AFB. Two figures for adults here: 24% report frequent mental distress, 24% binge drink. On the CDC’s 31 measures, McChord AFB is ahead of Washington on 11 and behind on 18.
| 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: 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°.
About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter. In McChord AFB, the July high is 77°F.
| 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
McChord AFB sends most of its workers out of town
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.
McChord AFB had 473 jobs in 2023, down 196 from 2013. Most people who work leave McChord AFB to do it: just 2% work in town. Among residents here, 14% live below the poverty line. Only 9 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower average commute than McChord AFB.
| McChord AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 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
Natural hazards: high risk in McChord AFB, mostly earthquakes
On expected storm and flood damage, McChord AFB sits above 60% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 67% come from earthquakes and 29% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Conservation land takes up 3.3% of McChord AFB
0.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| 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
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.
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−.
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