Even on the area’s higher pay, Orting costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #83 of 285 in Washington for affordability. Down 1.2% in a year, 7% below the Washington typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area ($115K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Orting’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($115K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 19% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 59% of renters.
In dollars
- $545Ktypical home, 7% below the Washington typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,540a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 111prices across the Seattle metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 151)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$115K, Seattle-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 59%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Washington: 50%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Orting, in brief
Mostly newer homes
Half of Orting’s homes were built after 2003, against 1985 for Washington as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Orting’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Orting is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #83 of 285 in Washington. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Washington: up 8.8% in five years, against 10.5% statewide (Zillow).
Up 8.8% in five years
About the same pace as Washington (10.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Orting | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $284,000 | $324,000 |
| 2018 | $313,000 | $359,000 |
| 2019 | $341,000 | $387,000 |
| 2020 | $368,000 | $410,000 |
| 2021 | $435,000 | $467,000 |
| 2022 | $517,000 | $549,000 |
| 2023 | $527,000 | $568,000 |
| 2024 | $539,000 | $577,000 |
| 2025 | $561,000 | $600,000 |
| 2026 | $556,000 | $597,000 |
| September 2026 | $545,000 | $588,000 |
A typical Orting home worth $276K in October 2016 is worth about $545K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 13 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 4.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Orting’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $94K short of a typical Orting home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,540 a month here, $710 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Orting’s typical property tax (0.86% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,540
Renters already here pay a median of $2,284, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Tacoma, WA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
21 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 21 new homes in Orting in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $8.4 million to build. That's 2.3 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Washington (4.6). Over the past 10 years, Orting has permitted 440 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Orting gained 2,295 residents while 594 new homes were permitted: about 3.9 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Washington: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 22 | 22 | 0 | $9.1 million |
| 2025 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $8.4 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 6 | $2.4 million |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2022 | 32 | 24 | 8 | $11.6 million |
| 2021 | 40 | 36 | 4 | $17 million |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2019 | 18 | 16 | 2 | $3.4 million |
| 2018 | 89 | 89 | 0 | $20.7 million |
| 2017 | 139 | 139 | 0 | $42.1 million |
| 2016 | 88 | 88 | 0 | $26.7 million |
| 2015 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $15.4 million |
| 2014 | 60 | 60 | 0 | $17.3 million |
| 2013 | 72 | 72 | 0 | $20 million |
| 2012 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $13.2 million |
| 2011 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2010 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2009 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2008 | 48 | 46 | 2 | $10.7 million |
| 2007 | 118 | 116 | 2 | $28.7 million |
| 2006 | 208 | 204 | 4 | $55.1 million |
| 2005 | 267 | 267 | 0 | $56.2 million |
| 2004 | 133 | 133 | 0 | $21.9 million |
| 2003 | 45 | 36 | 9 | $6.3 million |
| 2002 | 114 | 112 | 2 | $16.8 million |
| 2001 | 53 | 53 | 0 | $8.4 million |
| 2000 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2.4 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $4,246, under the Washington median of $4,556, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.86% a year, against 0.81% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Orting
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, or Washington. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 111 | WA 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 104 | WA 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 93 | WA 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 107 | WA 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Orting vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Orting has the lowest. Tehaleh and McMillin have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orting | C | $545K | $493K | 0.86% | $2,540 |
| Tehaleh | D− | — | $742K | 0.85% | $2,470 |
| McMillin | C | — | $611K | 0.85% | $2,440 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Orting
Is Orting expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Orting costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #83 of 285 in Washington. The typical home costs 4.3 years of the median household income of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area ($115K).
How much does a house cost in Orting?
About $545K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.2% in a year. The Washington typical home is $588K.
What salary do you need to live in Orting?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $139,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,250 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $102,000.
How much is rent in Orting?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,540 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,284 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Orting?
The median bill is $4,246 a year, 0.86% of the median home value (Washington: $4,556, 0.81%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Orting going up?
No: down 1.2% in the past year and 8.8% in five years, against 10.5% across Washington (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Orting buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.