University Place, WA vs Lakewood, WA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricUniversity Place, WALakewood, WA
Population34,91162,937
Median Household Income$99,031$74,720
Median Rent$1,762/mo$1,525/mo
Median Home Value$624,800$461,200
Cost of Living (US = 100)111111
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income57.7%50.2%
Poverty Rate8.2%13.2%
Unemployment Rate4.3%5.3%
Violent Crime Rate /100k170514
Property Crime Rate /100k1,4792,721
Median AQI4444
Good AQI Days /yr267267
Summer Highs74°F74°F
Winter Lows36°F36°F
Snowfall0 in/yr6 in/yr
Avg Commute28 min29.3 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—4.0 / 5
Students per Teacher19.516.8
College Degree Rate42.1%23.2%
Foreign-Born %13.4%15.3%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+1.7%-1.4%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.