What percentage of people rent in Lakewood, WA?

Name: Renters and owners in Lakewood, WA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

52.5% (±2.7 points) of the occupied homes in Lakewood, WA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 13,910 renting households against 12,590 that own their home.

In Lakewood, the share of households that rent went from 56.6% in 2015–2019 to 52.5% in 2020–2024 (−4.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 52.5% (±2.7 points)
Renting households: 13,910 (±899)
Median renter income: $56,594 (±$4,032)

Who rents and who owns in Lakewood

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Lakewood	Pierce County	Washington	United States
Renter-occupied share	52.5% (±2.7 points)	35.3% (±0.6 points)	36.2% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	13,910 (±899)	123,930 (±2,243)	1,110,043 (±7,257)	45,017,354
Owning households	12,590 (±754)	227,400 (±2,414)	1,954,777 (±10,007)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$56,594 (±$4,032)	$68,118 (±$1,782)	$66,868 (±$600)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$102,827 (±$4,610)	$120,834 (±$1,287)	$119,764 (±$583)	$100,009

In Lakewood, the renter share is higher than in Pierce County (35.3%).

It is also higher than in Washington (36.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Pierce County, Lakewood ranks 5 of 59 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 30 of 472.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Lakewood has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	56.6% (±1.8 points)	52.5% (±2.7 points)	−4.1 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,034 (±$32)	$1,525 (±$72)	+47.5%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$51,972 (±$1,502)	$74,720 (±$4,086)	+43.8%	Up after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Lakewood

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Lakewood
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Lakewood	—	52.5% (±2.7 points)	—
McChord AFB	2.8 mi	97.3% (±4.1 points)	Higher
Steilacoom	3.0 mi	37.1% (±6.5 points)	Lower
University Place	3.7 mi	42.8% (±3.3 points)	Lower
North Fort Lewis	4.3 mi	99.2% (±1.2 points)	Higher
Parkland	4.5 mi	48.2% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Fircrest	4.6 mi	28.2% (±7.3 points)	Lower
Fort Lewis	5.1 mi	99.0% (±1.2 points)	Higher
Midland	5.5 mi	41.6% (±6.3 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Steilacoom, WA (37.1%), University Place, WA (42.8%), Parkland, WA (48.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: McChord AFB, WA (97.3%), North Fort Lewis, WA (99.2%), Fort Lewis, WA (99.0%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Pierce County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	North Fort Lewis	99.2% (±1.2 points)
2	Fort Lewis	99.0% (±1.2 points)
3	McChord AFB	97.3% (±4.1 points)
4	Fife	53.7% (±4.4 points)
5	Lakewood	52.5% (±2.7 points)
6	Parkland	48.2% (±3.1 points)
7	Puyallup	47.9% (±3.2 points)
8	Sumner	45.6% (±5.5 points)
9	Milton	45.0% (±6.2 points)
10	Tacoma	44.2% (±1.3 points)
11	University Place	42.8% (±3.3 points)

Showing 11 of 59 places in Pierce County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Lakewood

How many renters are there in Lakewood?

Lakewood has an estimated 13,910 (±899) renting households, 52.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Lakewood?

In Lakewood, the share of households that rent went from 56.6% in 2015–2019 to 52.5% in 2020–2024 (−4.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Lakewood?

A renting household in Lakewood has 2.2 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Lakewood?

The median renting household in Lakewood, WA has an income of $56,594 (±$4,032) a year, against $102,827 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Lakewood city, Washington (place:38038, in state:53).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.