Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 1,344 people was settled in 1886.
Purdy’s best subject grades are an A for schools, health, and incomes; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Of the 286 Washington towns we compare, none has a higher median age than Purdy. Purdy Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Purdy has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Purdy beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Purdy Elementary School | PK–5 | 483 |
| Peninsula High School | 9–12 | 1,345 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Purdy is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Purdy. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
19 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
Big draw31 mi National ParkOlympic National Park3.6M visitors a year
19 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olympic National Park: Wsiegmund, CC BY 2.5 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Purdy 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 Purdy.
35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Purdy | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.3% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 3.9% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 37.3% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.9% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.5% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
The largest public high school is Peninsula High School, with 1,345 students. The Peninsula School District runs its public schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 483 | – |
| Peninsula High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,345 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The top destinations are Tacoma (15%), Seattle (11%) and Gig Harbor (9%). Most people who work leave Purdy to do it: just 4% work in town. Jobs in Purdy grew by 489 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,964. Also worth knowing: among residents in the town, 2.5% live below the poverty line.
| Purdy | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nearly one in ten adults in Purdy smoke cigarettes; 76% had a checkup this year. Against the Washington average, Purdy comes out ahead on 15 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 7. In Purdy, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress.
| Purdy | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 71% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Purdy | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.1% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 73% of U.S. communities. 69% of Purdy’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 27%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Purdy’s peak summer temperature stands at 77°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Purdy’s rent at the middle of the market is $2,584 a month. For households locally, the share who live in a home they own is 79%.
| Purdy | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,584 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Purdy
About 1 of every 100 Purdy residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Purdy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Unincorporated community in Washington, United States
Purdy is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place north of the city of Gig Harbor, and at the junction of Washington State Routes 16 and 302 on the northern boundary of Pierce County, Washington. Purdy is on the shores of Burley Lagoon and Henderson Bay at the northern end of Carr Inlet in Puget Sound. The lagoon and bay are separated by a sandspit and the Purdy Bridge. The Washington Corrections Center for Women, originally named the Purdy Treatment Center, is colloquially referred to as "Purdy", though it has a Gig Harbor address. As of the 2020 census, Purdy had a population of 1,668.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The typical home is worth about $359,000, 39% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
