North Puyallup has higher household incomes than 60% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 94.7 in Seattle. Below the poverty line: 4.5% of residents, against 9.9% across Washington. Jobs and income earn North Puyallup A; getting around on foot earns it A−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set North Puyallup apart
North Puyallup’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside North Puyallup is Seattle, 29 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (122) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of North Puyallup’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 73% of the jobs based in North Puyallup. The jobs ↓
North Puyallup makes and builds things
39% of the jobs based in North Puyallup are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Puyallup residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 19%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 877 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Why North Puyallup gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty and job access, North Puyallup is better than 87% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($83,489, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
Unemployment (0.0%) is left out: North Puyallup’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, North Puyallup could be anywhere from B− to A+.
Miles to work from North Puyallup
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In North Puyallup, 39% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
610 jobs are based in North Puyallup.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Puyallup, 2013 → 2023: 448 → 610. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Puyallup’s own residents hold wherever they work.
North Puyallup quiets down on a workday
On a workday 874 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 607 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in North Puyallup on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.70 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
14% of working residents work in Seattle
Where North Puyallup clocks in
14% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Commuting from North Puyallup: about 31 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Puyallup workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 600 commuters (the 22% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Good to walk, short on transit: North Puyallup
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Puyallup is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 5.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 8.9% across Washington, on an EPA index of 7.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 772 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 14% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 69% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 10.4% of North Puyallup households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of North Puyallup’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, North Puyallup is 387th among 5,381 U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Woodway WA | 1,316 | $205K | 2.1% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Fife Heights WA | 1,446 | $157K | 2.4% | 4.5% | 1% | A+ |
| 33 | Ames Lake WA | 1,245 | $250K | 1.1% | 3.1% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 385 | Franklin Township IN | 1,627 | $91K | 4.8% | 6.5% | 1% | A |
| 386 | Waupun WI | 1,390 | $113K | 2.5% | 0.0% | 2% | A |
| 387 | North Puyallup WA | 1,653 | $83K | 4.5% | 0.0% | <1% | A |
| 388 | Bellefonte DE | 1,313 | $91K | 5.5% | 4.9% | 1% | A |
| 389 | Afton Township KS | 1,640 | $133K | 5.9% | 1.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,381 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of North Puyallup, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
The towns next door employ 11% of North Puyallup
The biggest share goes to Puyallup (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Puyallup workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Puyallup | – | A | A− | 31 min | $83,489 |
| Puyallup | 7% | B+ | A− | 31 min | $97,826 |
| Sumner | 4% | A− | A | 30 min | $98,191 |
| Edgewood | under 3% | A+ | B | 28 min | $116,132 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Puyallup’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in North Puyallup: questions
What is the median household income in North Puyallup?
$83,489 (±$37,817) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Puyallup?
4.5%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Puyallup?
31 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Puyallup work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (14%, 29 mi), Tacoma (11%, 9 mi), Puyallup (7%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Puyallup walkable?
North Puyallup is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 7.5 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Puyallup without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Puyallup, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Puyallup
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.