Housing data for Elk Plain, WA
Elk Plain, WA has an estimated 14,276 residents and 5,059 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Pierce County.
15.8% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $2,172 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 14,276 (±1,071)
- Housing units
- 5,059 (±300)
- Households that rent
- 15.8%
- Median gross rent
- $2,172
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −5.9%
What stands out in Elk Plain
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 0.1% (±1.1 points) in Elk Plain, lower than in Pierce County (18.2%).
Households that rent: 15.8% (±3.6 points) in Elk Plain, lower than in Pierce County (35.3%).
Homes built before 1980: 21.6% (±3.9 points) in Elk Plain, lower than in Pierce County (42.4%).
Households without a vehicle: 1.2% (±1.0 points) in Elk Plain, lower than in Pierce County (5.4%).
- Types of homes in Elk Plain
- Renters and owners in Elk Plain
- Age of homes in Elk Plain
- Commute and cars in Elk Plain
Housing in Elk Plain at a glance
- Median rent: $2,172 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,825 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 47.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 15.8% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $107,313 median household income
- Home values: $473,500 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,371 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,629 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 91.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 21.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 4.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 55.4% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 36.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −5.9% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.1% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Elk Plain against Pierce County, its state and the nation
| Elk Plain | Pierce County | Washington | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 14,276 (±1,071) | 930,319 (exact) | 7,816,116 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 5,059 (±300) | 369,709 (±177) | 3,306,620 (±517) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 15.8% (±3.6 points) | 35.3% (±0.6 points) | 36.2% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $2,172 (±$187) | $1,806 (±$18) | $1,760 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $107,313 (±$8,430) | $99,564 (±$1,209) | $98,141 (±$414) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $473,500 (±$19,407) | $526,600 (±$5,524) | $564,600 (±$1,940) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,629 (±$245) | $4,770 (±$47) | $4,556 (±$16) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 21.6% (±3.9 points) | 42.4% (±0.9 points) | 43.4% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 36.5 minutes (±2.9) | 31.3 minutes (±0.4) | 26.6 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.3% (±2.4 points) | 94.6% (±0.3 points) | 93.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 38.0 years (±3.1) | 37.0 years (±0.1) | 38.3 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Elk Plain covers 8.4 square miles of land, about 1,704 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Elk Plain has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 15,167 (±1,010) | 14,276 (±1,071) | −5.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 5,323 (±188) | 5,059 (±300) | −5.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,360 (±$166) | $2,172 (±$187) | +59.7% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $228,700 (±$9,676) | $473,500 (±$19,407) | +107.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $70,041 (±$7,675) | $107,313 (±$8,430) | +53.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,596 (±$79) | $2,371 (±$137) | +48.6% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,975 (±$226) | $4,629 (±$245) | +55.6% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 19.4% (±4.9 points) | 15.8% (±3.6 points) | −3.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±3.5 points) | 4.0% (±5.2 points) | +4.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Pierce County
Elk Plain has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Pierce County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Pierce County recorded 411 violent and 2,060 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Elk Plain
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98387 | 21% | 50,774 | $1,869 | $461,000 | $106,872 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Elk Plain
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Creek | 3.1 mi | — | $610,600 | 15.6% |
| Frederickson | 3.5 mi | $2,386 | $477,400 | 26.2% |
| Graham | 4.2 mi | $2,095 | $516,700 | 17.8% |
| Spanaway | 4.7 mi | $1,813 | $445,700 | 26.3% |
| Summit View | 6.6 mi | $1,887 | $524,300 | 41.0% |
| South Hill | 6.6 mi | $2,088 | $543,600 | 29.5% |
| Clover Creek | 7.0 mi | $1,814 | $471,900 | 37.2% |
| Parkland | 7.7 mi | $1,663 | $423,000 | 48.2% |
Places in Washington most like Elk Plain
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Ridge | $1,965 | $462,000 | $114,356 | 11.7% |
| Orting | $2,284 | $493,100 | $132,877 | 16.5% |
| Manchester | $1,740 | $478,200 | $126,371 | 13.9% |
| Sultan | $1,729 | $526,100 | $94,730 | 17.3% |
| Roy | $2,227 | $442,600 | $98,750 | 8.1% |
| Frederickson | $2,386 | $477,400 | $109,500 | 26.2% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Washington.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Elk Plain, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,491 | $1,682 | $2,064 | $2,849 | $3,219 |
HUD income limits for Elk Plain, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $26,750 | $44,600 | $71,300 |
| 2 people | $30,600 | $50,950 | $81,500 |
| 3 people | $34,400 | $57,300 | $91,700 |
| 4 people | $38,200 | $63,650 | $101,850 |
| 5 people | $41,300 | $68,750 | $110,000 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $73,850 | $118,150 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $78,950 | $126,300 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $84,050 | $134,450 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Tacoma, WA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $127,300.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Elk Plain is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
What you can do on Seayora in Elk Plain
One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.
Own or manage a rental?
List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Elk Plain beside you.
Create a landlord account · See what landlords get
Looking for a place to rent?
Browse homes for rent near Elk Plain, save the ones you like and apply online.
Browse rentals · Create a renter account
Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?
Get found by owners and renters near Elk Plain, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.
Questions about Elk Plain
What is the average rent in Elk Plain, WA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Elk Plain is $2,172 (±$187) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a two-bedroom apartment in Elk Plain?
The median gross rent for a two-bedroom home in Elk Plain, WA is $1,825 (±$608) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Elk Plain rent-burdened?
47.3% of renting households in Elk Plain pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Elk Plain?
Elk Plain has an estimated 760 (±165) renting households, 15.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Elk Plain?
The median household income in Elk Plain is $107,313 (±$8,430) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Elk Plain, WA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $473,500 (±$19,407) for owner-occupied homes in Elk Plain (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Elk Plain growing?
In Elk Plain, the number of residents went from 15,167 in 2015–2019 to 14,276 in 2020–2024 (−5.9%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Elk Plain?
The ZIP code that covers Elk Plain is 98387.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 98387?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 98387 is $1,869 (±$81) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Elk Plain CDP, Washington
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Tacoma, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Tacoma, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Elk Plain CDP, Washington (place:21205, in state:53).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .