• county
  • FIPS 53053
  • Largest town: Tacoma

Pierce County, Washington

Pierce County had 941,170 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,668.0 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 39 in Washington by population and 23rd by land area.

Population
941,170
#2 of 39 in Washington · #60 in US
Area
1,668.0 sq mi
#23 of 39 in Washington · #362 in US
Density
564 / sq mi
#4 of 39 in Washington · #255 in US
Median household income
$97,493
#4 of 39 in Washington · #159 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Pierce County within Washington. Pin: Olympia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Pierce County

Pierce County population, land area and income

Pierce County had 941,170 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,668.0 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 39 in Washington by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 564.3 people per square mile, 5.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Washington has 69,632 residents, so Pierce County is 13.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $97,493 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

941,170

3144th1st

60th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,668 sq mi

3144th1st

362nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

564.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

255th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$97,493

3143rd1st

159th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Washington (39)

Population

941,170

39th1st

2nd of 39 (WA)

Land area

1,668 sq mi

39th1st

23rd of 39 (WA)

Density

564.3 / sq mi

39th1st

4th of 39 (WA)

Median household income

$97,493

39th1st

4th of 39 (WA)

How Pierce County's population changed since 2020

Pierce County gained 17,515 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.9%. That ranks 32nd of 39 in Washington for growth. The median Washington county changed by +3.2%, and the state as a whole by +3.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Pierce County recorded 46,574 births and 34,066 deaths, a natural change of +12,508. Net international migration added +13,297 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -6,162. The largest single component was international migration, which added 13,297 people.

923.7k2020927.7k2021927.3k2022931.7k2023941.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
46,574
Deaths
34,066
Net international migration
+13,297
Net domestic migration
-6,162
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+9,452

Where Pierce County is

The Census internal point of Pierce County is at 47.051400, -122.153200. It sits in UTM zone 10N. The map shades Washington's 39 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Pierce County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

King County: +2.9%Thurston County: +2.3%Garfield County: +4.7%Adams County: +2.1%Kitsap County: +2.0%Mason County: +5.5%Stevens County: +5.2%Walla Walla County: -0.9%Whitman County: +1.2%Pierce County: +1.9%Benton County: +5.2%Columbia County: +1.8%Skamania County: +5.1%Douglas County: +6.4%Kittitas County: +2.9%Klickitat County: +5.7%Pacific County: +3.2%Grant County: +5.3%Grays Harbor County: +2.7%Jefferson County: +2.7%Lincoln County: +8.6%San Juan County: +4.7%Skagit County: +2.2%Island County: -0.6%Ferry County: +4.8%Chelan County: +2.4%Clark County: +4.3%Asotin County: +0.9%Franklin County: +4.2%Whatcom County: +3.3%Snohomish County: +4.1%Pend Oreille County: +6.1%Yakima County: +0.7%Clallam County: +0.8%Wahkiakum County: +7.9%Spokane County: +2.7%Okanogan County: +6.6%Cowlitz County: +2.7%Lewis County: +5.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +2.7%
  3. < +4.2%
  4. < +5.3%
  5. ≥ +5.3%
no data

Orange pin: Pierce County internal point. Dark pin: Olympia.

Internal point

Decimal
47.051400, -122.153200
DMS
47°03'5.04"N 122°09'11.52"W
UTM
10N 564316.5E 5211223.9N
Geohash
c235sm6y2
Plus code
84VV3R2W+HP

Towns in Pierce County

19 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Pierce County, 497,508 people together, or 53% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Pierce County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Tacoma with 228,202.

  1. 01Tacoma228,202
  2. 02Lakewood62,709
  3. 03Puyallup42,552
  4. 04University Place35,160
  5. 05Bonney Lake22,145
  6. 06Edgewood13,496
  7. 07Gig Harbor12,643
  8. 08Fife11,077
  9. 09Sumner10,885
  10. 10DuPont9,823
  11. 11Auburn (part)9,700
  12. 12Orting8,911
  13. 13Fircrest6,988
  14. 14Milton (part)6,973
  15. 15Steilacoom6,649
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Pierce County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Pierce County. The most populous is King County, WA, with 2,340,211 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Olympia and the nearest big city

Olympia is 35.2 miles W of Pierce County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Federal Way, WA (population 100,252), 19.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bonney Lake, WA (population 22,145), 10.3 miles away.

Pierce County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Pierce County is 53053: state code 53 for Washington plus county code 053. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $97,493.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Pierce County, Washington?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 941,170. That is up 17,515 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 923,655.

What is the FIPS code of Pierce County?

53053. The first two digits (53) are Washington; the last three (053) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Pierce County?

Tacoma, with 228,202 residents inside Pierce County in 2024.

Which counties border Pierce County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: King County, WA; Thurston County, WA; Kitsap County, WA; Yakima County, WA; Lewis County, WA; Mason County, WA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.