Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Steilacoom grades B+ overall, 66th among Washington's 285 graded towns. It is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Its schools outperform 81% of the state's. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $633K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Steilacoom’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Steilacoom's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. Steilacoom has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Steilacoom Catholic Church and Steilacoom Historic District.
Where Steilacoom beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Saltars Point Elementary | 4–5 | 437 |
| Cherrydale Elementary | PK–3 | 348 |
| Steilacoom High | 9–12 | 968 |
5,985 counted in 2010 and 6,727 in 2020; an estimated 6,648 in 2025.
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 Steilacoom is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 250 in 1880, 6,727 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 6 maps from 1948 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Steilacoom. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
9 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
32 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
32 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 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Steilacoom, 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 Steilacoom.
Steilacoom fares better on crime within Washington than nationally, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington.
On this, Steilacoom is where Washington’s towns sit at 4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 4.3 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Farrell's Marsh Park, 59 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Farrell's Marsh Park | 1.8 mi | 59 |
| 2. Community Center Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Sunnyside Beach Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $633K.
Its public schools are run by the Steilacoom Hist. School District. The largest public high school is Steilacoom High, with 968 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltars Point ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 437 | – |
| Steilacoom HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 968 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Steilacoom has 668 jobs for its 2,424 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Steilacoom for work: only 3% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in Steilacoom. Jobs based in Steilacoom grew to 668 in 2023, 70 more than in 2013.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Washington it is less healthy than 53% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Steilacoom beats the Washington average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 73% of Steilacoom adults had a checkup this year.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 71% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 10% | 14% |
| What stands out | Steilacoom | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.1% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 10.2% |
| More adults with arthritis | 29.1% | 24.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Olympia Ap weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 6 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.4°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36°.
Steilacoom has mild winters and pleasant summers. Steilacoom’s January low is 36°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Steilacoom.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 14.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 84% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 98 to 48 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Steilacoom is 5.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Washington average. 48% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 30% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Steilacoom | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.4% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.1% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Steilacoom home is worth about $633,000, up 0.7% in a year, 8% above the Washington typical home.
| Steilacoom | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,818 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 71% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Steilacoom
About 4 of every 100 Steilacoom residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
7.7% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
4 places in Steilacoom on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Washington, United States
Steilacoom ( STIL-ə-kəm) is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,727 at the 2020 census. Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what later became the state of Washington. It has also become a bedroom community for service members stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, aka McChord AFB and Fort Lewis. Based on per capita income, Steilacoom ranks 61st of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Steilacoom.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steilacoom | #66 | B+ | D | B | A− | B+ |
| Lakewood | #262 | D | C | D | C | C+ |
| University Place | #103 | B | D | C | A | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Steilacoom grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #66 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
