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Moving to
Artondale.
Artondale is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, WA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Artondale
Artondale is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, a growing population, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Artondale deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
How Artondale compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Artondale
Based on Artondale's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,502
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $90,040 a year
- 35% of Artondale renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$146,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $73,440
- Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 59% above US
$2,251/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,251 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $734,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $734,400 · 35% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Pierce County is 5.0%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Pierce County (county-wide)
Safety
226 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Artondale doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Pierce County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1070/100k · Policed by Pierce County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 13% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.4 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 74°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 54% above US
55% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park (25 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Artondale's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,251/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Artondale
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