Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Parkland’s grades pull in different directions. The town grades C− overall and ranks 216th of 285 in Washington. On that grade it does better than 23% of U.S. towns. Where it falls short is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $459K, 4 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than nearly three quarters of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Its best grade is for walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. This Washington town is home to Pacific Lutheran University. 52% of households are owner-occupiers here, below both the Washington town median (71%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where Parkland beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Pacific Lutheran University | 2,685 |
Old MainEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Parkland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 21,012 in 1970, 38,623 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Parkland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
7 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
32 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
11 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme ParkSpace 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
Parkland 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Parkland.
Parkland has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Parkland’s typical household income comes in at $72,000. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 4% of working residents work locally. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 13%. Since 2013, Parkland has added 1,002 jobs, to 6,970 in 2023.
| Parkland | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.2% | 15% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 9 schools are below, and why each made the list. The public schools here belong to the Franklin Pierce School District. Public school enrollment in Parkland: 1,551 students across 4 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry G Keithley Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 804 | – |
| Washington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 989 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 69% come from earthquakes and 26% from inland flooding. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1991: 30.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Count the trails in 5 parks and preserves and they come to 5.5 miles. The biggest place to walk is Bresemann Forest, 60 acres with 2.3 miles of trail. Parkland’s concentration of trails stands at 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Parkland | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bresemann Forest | 2.3 mi | 60 |
| 2. Parkland Prairie Nature Reserve | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 3. Gonyea Playfield | 0.1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
62.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington.
A home in Parkland typically sold within 22 days of listing. Zillow values the typical Parkland home at about $459,000, about the same as a year ago, 22% below the Washington typical home. Also worth knowing: in Parkland, the typical rent is $1,663 a month.
| Parkland | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,663 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Mcmillin Rsvr weather station, 9 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°.
About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter. The midsummer high for Parkland comes to 77°F.
| Parkland | 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
Parkland: 12% of adults have diabetes. CDC measures, 31 in all: Parkland beats Washington on 1 and trails on 21.
| Parkland | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Parkland | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.7% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Parkland
About 6 of every 100 Parkland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Where Parkland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Parkland on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Parkland is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington. The population was 35,803 at the time of the 2010 census and had grown to 38,623 as of the 2020 census. It is an unincorporated suburb of the city of Tacoma and is home to Pacific Lutheran University. Parkland borders most of Tacoma's southern cutoff at 96th St, and borders with much of the northern cutoff of Spanaway, Washington, at 152nd St (or Military Rd E). The most influential motorway is State Route 7/Pacific Ave, which travels north and south, and leads from Interstate 5 in Tacoma all the way to Mount Rainier. Pacific Ave is also a main commercial corridor through much of the county, including Parkland. It was…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Parkland.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkland | #216 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
| McChord AFB | #218 | C− | D− | — | C+ | A− |
| Clover Creek | #241 | C− | C− | — | C | C+ |
| Tacoma | #234 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | B |
| Lakewood | #262 | D | C | D | C | C+ |
| Spanaway | #180 | C | C | — | C+ | C+ |
| Midland | #187 | C | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Frederickson | #178 | C | C− | — | C+ | B |
Parkland, McChord AFB, Clover Creek, Spanaway, Midland and Frederickson report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Parkland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Parkland grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #216 of 285 in Washington. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
