Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Puyallup grades C overall, ranked 195th of 285 in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns and it has 29 miles of trail. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 124 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Puyallup’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Puyallup has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ezra Meeker Mansion and Christ Episcopal Church. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Puyallup beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
37,022 counted in 2010 and 42,973 in 2020; an estimated 42,682 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 16.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Puyallup is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 312 in 1870, 42,973 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Puyallup. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
8 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
7 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
29 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile 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 · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Puyallup, and how to reach them.
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 Puyallup.
Puyallup has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, has seen reported crime fall by about half and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Washington.
The biggest place to walk is Clark's Creek Park, 177 acres with 7.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clark's Creek Park | 7.1 mi | 177 |
| 2. Wildwood Park | 2.6 mi | 81 |
| 3. Puyallup Valley Sports Complex | 1 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Puyallup School District. Two of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 724 | – |
| Puyallup High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 1,815 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 2,419 to 1,244 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 26.4 per 1,000 residents, Puyallup’s property crime rate is above both Washington’s towns (15) and U.S. towns (9.9). The violent crime rate in Puyallup is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Puyallup reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
| Puyallup | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.4 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Since 1979, 89 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Puyallup.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 77.6°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.5°.
Puyallup has mild winters and pleasant summers. Puyallup’s July high is 78°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Puyallup | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Puyallup for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Puyallup has added 6,564 jobs, to 29,396 in 2023. The top destinations are Tacoma (13%), Seattle (11%) and Kent (5%).
| Puyallup | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Washington it is less healthy than 73% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar. Against the 8,898 U.S. towns with household incomes like Puyallup’s, it is less healthy than 55%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Puyallup beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 71% of Puyallup adults had a checkup this year.
| Puyallup | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Puyallup | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 36.9% | 30.6% |
| More smokers | 12% | 10.1% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 37.1% | 31.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
52% of households own their home in Puyallup.
| Puyallup | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,812 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
11 within 15 miles of the center of Puyallup
About 5 of every 100 Puyallup residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
4 places in Puyallup on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
Puyallup ( pew-AL-əp; Lushootseed: st̕iləqʷac lit. "strawberry plant") is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is on the Puyallup River about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. The city had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from the Puyallup tribe of Native Americans and means "the generous people" in Lushootseed. Puyallup is home to the Washington State Fair, the state's largest annual fair. The name of the city is also used in mailing addresses for adjacent unincorporated areas, such as the larger-populated South Hill.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Puyallup.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puyallup | #195 | C | C− | D | B+ | B |
| North Puyallup | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Alderton | #113 | B− | C+ | — | A | B |
| Summit | #138 | B− | C | — | B | B− |
| Edgewood | #132 | B− | D | C | B+ | A− |
| Fife | #226 | C− | D | D− | B+ | B+ |
| South Hill | #85 | B | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
North Puyallup has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. North Puyallup, Alderton, Summit and South Hill report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Puyallup with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Puyallup grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #195 of 285 in Washington. It grades B for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($115,177 across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
