Pierce County is home to thevolcanoMount Rainier, the tallest mountain in theCascade Range. Its most recent recorded eruption was between 1820 and 1854. There is no imminent risk of eruption, but geologists expect that the volcano will erupt again. If this should happen, parts of Pierce County and thePuyallup Valley would be at risk fromlahars,lava, orpyroclastic flows. TheMount Rainier Volcano Lahar Warning System was established in 1998 to assist in the evacuation of thePuyallup River valley in case of eruption.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,805.491 square miles (4,676.20 km2), of which 1,668.025 square miles (4,320.16 km2) is land and 137.466 square miles (356.04 km2) (7.61%) is water.[7] It is the 23rd largest county in Washington by total area.[8] The highest natural point in Washington,Mount Rainier, at 14,410 feet (4,390 m), is located in Pierce County. Rainier is locally called Tahoma or Takhoma, both native names for the mountain.
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[3]
As of the second quarter of 2025, the median home value in Pierce County was $587,138.[14]
As of the 2024American Community Survey, there are 362,111 estimated households in Pierce County with an average of 2.54 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $100,529. Approximately 9.1% of the county's population lives at or below thepoverty line. Pierce County has an estimated 60.2% employment rate, with 32.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.0% holding a high school diploma.[3] There were 378,928 housing units at an average density of 227.17 per square mile (87.7/km2).
The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (84.0%), Spanish (7.1%), Indo-European (2.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (5.5%), and Other (0.7%).
The median age in the county was 37.5 years.
Pierce County, Washington – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, there were 921,130 people, 339,840 households, 230,520 families residing in the county.[20] Thepopulation density was 552.23 inhabitants per square mile (213.2/km2). There were 359,489 housing units at an average density of 215.52 per square mile (83.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 64.64%White, 7.17%African American, 1.39%Native American, 6.89%Asian, 2.05%Pacific Islander, 5.26% from some other races and 12.61% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.14% of the population.[21]
23.2% of the population was under 18, and 6.1% of people were under 5. 14.4% of people were over 65. The gender ratio was 49.8% female and 50.2% male. The average household size was 2.65 people.[3]
The median income for a household was $82,574, but the per capita income was $39,036. 8.2% of the population were below thepoverty line.[3]
As of the2010 census, there were 795,225 people, 299,918 households, 202,174 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 195.07 inhabitants per square mile (75.3/km2). There were 359,489 housing units at an average density of 215.52 per square mile (83.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.20%White, 6.79%African American, 1.37%Native American, 5.97%Asian, 1.33%Pacific Islander, 3.50% from some other races and 6.83% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.16% of the population.
There were 299,918 households, 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% weremarried couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 35.9 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $57,869 and the median income for a family was $68,462. Males had a median income of $50,084 versus $38,696 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $27,446. About 8.1% of families and 11.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.[24]
The area was originally home to the present-day Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin, Steilacoom, and Muckleshoot tribes. The majority of Puyallup villages were situated in proximity to the area that would eventually develop into Tacoma, while Nisqually settlements were primarily located in what is now southern Pierce County. The tribes had two main routes: a northern path traversing Naches Pass and a southern route following the Mashel River, which connected them to Eastern Washington tribes. Trade networks among the region's indigenous peoples were well-established long before the arrival of white settlers.[25]
In 1792 British CaptainGeorge Vancouver and his party of explorers came via ship to the shores of the region, and named a number of sites in what would become Pierce County, i.e.Mount Rainier.[citation needed]
In 1832Fort Nisqually was sited by the BritishHudson's Bay Company's chief trader,Archibald McDonald. It was the first permanent European settlement on the Salish Sea. In cooperation with the local indigenous people, a storehouse for blankets, seeds, and potatoes was built at the mouth ofSequalitchew Creek.
In 1839 the Nisqually Methodist Episcopal Mission was established,[26] bringing the first U.S. citizens to settle in the Puget Sound region, near the Sequalitchew Creek canyon.
In 1841 theUnited States Exploring Expedition set up an observatory on the bluff near the creek to survey, map and chart the waters of Puget Sound.
In 1843 the Second Fort Nisqually was erected. Business became mainly agricultural, and the fort was relocated on a flat-plains area near the banks of Sequalitchew Creek for cattle.[27] The Fort Nisqually property was turned over to American control in 1859.
In 1846 theOregon Treaty established the 49th Parallel as the boundary between British Canada and the United States, which left what was to become Pierce County on U.S. territory. In response to increasing tensions between Indians and settlers, the United States Army established Fort Steilacoom in 1849 at the site of the traditional home of the Steilacoom Tribe.
In 1850, Captain Lafayette Balch sited his land claim next to the fort and founded Port Steilacoom. In 1854 the town of Steilacoom became Washington Territory's first incorporated town.
In 1854 theTreaty of Medicine Creek was enacted between the United States and the local tribes occupying the lands of theSalish Sea. The tribes listed on the Treaty of Medicine Creek are Nisqually, Puyallup, Steilacoom, Squawskin (Squaxin Island), S'Homamish, Stehchass, T'Peeksin, Squi-aitl, and Sa-heh-wamish. The treaty was signed on December 26, 1854, byIsaac I. Stevens, governor and superintendent of Indian Affairs of Washington territory at the time. The native tribes were told the treaty would help them by paying them for some of the land. It ended up taking prime farmland and relocating the tribes onto rough reservations.Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe protested the treaty. He and his people marched to Olympia to have their voices heard but Isaac Stevens ordered them away.[citation needed] When the natives refused to leave, Isaac Stevens would eventually call martial law and - after the beginning of the Puget Sound War in 1855 - initiate a search for Chief Leschi in order to arrest him. Chief Leschi was eventually captured and put on trial. The first jury couldn't come to a verdict, so Isaac Stevens had the trial done a second time. This time Leschi was found guilty. Chief Leschi was hanged on February 19, 1858.[25] On December 10, 2004, a historical court convened in Pierce County ruled "as a legal combatant of the Indian War Leschi should not have been held accountable under law for the death of an enemy soldier," thereby exonerating him of any wrongdoing.[28]
The logo often used to depict county government services and departments
Pierce County has adopted and is governed by a Charter. This is allowed by section 4 of Article XI of the Washington State Constitution. ThePierce County Executive, currently Ryan Mello (D), heads the county's executive branch.[29] The Assessor-Treasurer Marty Campbell,[30] auditor Linda Farmer, Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett,[31] andSheriff Keith Swank.
As of 31 December 2023[update], Pierce County had approximately 3,400 employees and a 2022–2023 biennium general fund budget of $3 billion.[32]
ThePierce County Council is the elected legislative body for Pierce County and consists of seven members elected by district. The council is vested with all law-making power granted by its charter and by the State of Washington, sets county policy through the adoption of ordinances and resolutions, approves the annual budget and directs the use of county funds. The seven members of the County Council are elected from each of seven contiguous and equally populated districts, with each councilmember representing approximately 114,000 county residents. Each county councilmember is elected to serve a four-year term.
Beneath theWashington Supreme Court and theWashington Court of Appeals, judicial power rests first in the Pierce County Superior Court, which is divided into 23 departments - each headed by an elected judge, as well as a clerk of the superior court and nine superior court commissioners. Below that is the Pierce County District Court - with eight elected judges, the Tacoma Municipal Court - with three elected judges, and the Pierce County Juvenile Court.Tacoma houses thePierce County Courthouse.
The people of Pierce County voted on November 5, 1918, to create a Port District. ThePort of Tacoma is Pierce County's only Port District. It is governed Port of Tacoma Commission - five Port Commissioners, who are elected at-large countywide and serve four-year terms. The Port of Tacoma owns sixcontainer terminals, onegrain terminal and anauto import terminal; all of which are leased out to foreign and domestic corporations to operate. In addition, the port owns and operates two breakbulk cargo terminals.
Many charter amendments have been on the ballot in the last five years, but sequential numbering does not carry over from year-to-year.
Pierce County has long been a Democratic stronghold, though much more moderately so than neighboring King County, as Republicans typically gain over 40% of the vote in presidential elections. Since 1932 the county has only voted majority Republican in 4 elections, each of which was a national landslide Republican victory. Democratic support lies mainly in Tacoma itself, while much of the southeast part of the county is strongly Republican.[34]
Pierce County is split between three U.S. congressional districts:[35]
Washington's 10th congressional district, contains much of the territory in Pierce County lost by the 9th Congressional district including parts of the city of Tacoma south of I-5 and east of Washington State Route 7, Puyallup, Lakewood, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The 10th district is currently represented byMarilyn Strickland, a (Democrat) and former Mayor of Tacoma. Prior to Strickland, the district was represented byDenny Heck, a (Democrat), who was the first to represent the 10th congressional district after its creation in 2013.
United States presidential election results for Pierce County, Washington[37]
As of 2023[update], the average annual wage in the county for all industries was $66,977, and the top five employment sectors were:[41]
Government (58,671)
Health care and social assistance (54,778)
Retail trade (36,867)
Accommodation and food services (29,482)
Administrative and waste management services (24,768)
Pierce County agriculture has been an instrumental part of the local economy for almost 150 years. However, in the last half-century, much of the county's farmland has been transformed into residential areas. Pierce County has taken aggressive steps to reverse this trend; the county recently created the Pierce County Farm Advisory Commission.[42] This advisory board helps local farmers with the interpretation of land use regulations as well as the promotion of local produce. The creation of the Pierce County Farm Advisory Commission will attempt to save the remaining 48,000[43] acres of Pierce County farmland. Despite the loss of farmland, Pierce County continues to produce about 50% of the United States'rhubarb.[44]
Private schools include theCascade Christian Schools group, Life Christian School and Academy, Bellarmine, Annie Wright Schools and Charles Wright Academy.
The Pierce County Library is the fourth largest library system in the state.[47] There are currently 20 branches, including:
Administrative Center and Library
Anderson Island
Bonney Lake
Buckley
Dupont
Eatonville
Fife
Gig Harbor
Graham
Key Center
Lakewood
Milton/Edgewood
Orting
Parkland/Spanaway
South Hill
Steilacoom
Summit
Sumner
Tillicum
University Place
The Pierce County Library System currently employs 394 people, and serves 579,970 citizens throughout 1,773 square miles. Established in 1944, the library system serves all of unincorporated Pierce County, as well as annexed cities and towns of: Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Eatonville, Edgewood, Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Milton, Orting, South Prairie, Steilacoom, Sumner, University Place and Wilkeson.[47] There are currently more than 1 million physical materials (books, videos, etc.) in the system, and more than 480,000 online or downloadable media items.[48] Total 2016 general fund revenue is estimated at $29,709,541.
ThePort of Tacoma is the sixth busiest container port in North America and one of the 25 busiest in the world,[41] playing an important part in the local economy. This deep-water port covers 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) and offers a combination of facilities and services including 34 deepwater berths, two million square feet (190,000 m2) of warehouse and office space, and 131 acres (530,000 m2) of industrial yard. An economic impact study showed that more the 28,000 jobs in Pierce County are related to the Port activities.
On December 18, 2017, anAmtrak train derailed in the county, at an overpass over southbound Interstate 5, hitting several vehicles. Thirteen of 14 rail cars derailed, killing three on board the train, and injuring dozens more on board and on the highway.[49]
Pierce County is home to a diverse array of arts organizations, including the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts,[50] Grand Cinema,[51] Lakewood Playhouse, Museum of Glass,[52] Northwest Sinfonietta, Speakeasy Arts Cooperative,[53] Tacoma Art Museum,[54] Tacoma Little Theater, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma Musical Playhouse,[55] Tacoma Opera, Symphony Tacoma, Dance Theater Northwest,Washington State History Museum, and others. The city of Tacoma hosts an annual event called "Art at Work" month every November, promoting participation in and support for the local arts community. ArtsFund,[56] a regional United Arts Fund, has assisted the arts community in Pierce County. In 2012,LeMay-America's Car Museum opened its doors in Tacoma. Additionally, theKarpeles Manuscript Library Museum, houses a large collection of original manuscripts and documents.[57]
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department was founded in 1853, shortly after incorporation of the county.[60]
Pierce County was noted for gangs, drugs, and criminal activity starting in the mid to late 1980s. Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood had gangs that were selling crack cocaine and gang violence. Increased police patrols and community watch programs led to reduced crime in the mid to late 2000s. As of 2006, 38% of themethamphetamine labs (138 sites) cleaned up by theWashington State Department of Ecology were in Pierce County. This reduction from a high of 589 labs in 2001 comes in part to a new law restricting the sale ofpseudoephedrine and in part due to tougher prison sentences for methamphetamine producers.[61]
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