Pierce County · Washington · West · 35k residents
University Place, WA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on University Place: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Washington median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,423/wk. Washington's corporate income tax rate is 0%. Commercial electricity averages 10.0¢/kWh.
Compare University Place side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,423/wk
Corporate income tax
0%
Bachelor's degree or higher
42.1%
Commercial electricity
10.0¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast University Place's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
58/100
Steady
Ranks University Place's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $624,800 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $350 |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,497/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,792/mo |
| State & local income tax | 0% |
| Sales tax | 9.4% |
| Corporate income tax | 0% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,423/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42.1% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.0¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 22.7/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $167,280 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $128,260 |
| Wage: General manager | $146,030 |
| Wage: Customer service | $53,550 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $46,830 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $71,240 |
| Wage: Electrician | $101,780 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $42,080 |
| Cost of living index | 125 |
| Groceries index | 106 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $99/mo |
| Gas price | $4.10/gal |
| Healthcare index | 104 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,500/mo |
| Median household income | $99,031 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% |
| Population | 35k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 99/100 |
| Avg. commute | 28 min |
| Sunny days / year | 155 days |
| July high | 76°F |
| January low | 36°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.3% |
| Home price MoM | -0.5% |
| Rent YoY | +1.8% |
| Rent MoM | -0.5% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.1% |
| Building permits YoY | -20.7% |
| Ocean coast | 6 mi |
| Big lake | 270 mi |
| Mountains | 44 mi |
| Major airport | 20 mi |
| Ski resort | 53 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Lakewood, WA · 63k
- Parkland, WA · 39k
- Fort Lewis, WA · 15k
- Puyallup, WA · 43k
- Spanaway, WA · 34k
Similar size
- Graham, WA · 35k
- Mount Vernon, WA · 35k
- Wenatchee, WA · 35k
- Walla Walla, WA · 34k
- Des Moines, WA · 33k
Real listings in University Place
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is University Place a good place to run a business?
- Washington's corporate income tax rate is 0%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,423/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.0¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in University Place, WA?
- University Place indexes at 125 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,792/mo and a acs median home value of $624,800.
- How much does a house cost in University Place?
- The acs median home value in University Place is $624,800 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in University Place?
- A two-bedroom in University Place rents for about $1,792/mo.