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Moving to
Parkland.
Parkland 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 Parkland
Parkland is an unincorporated community in Washington with 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. Parkland deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Parkland compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Parkland
Based on Parkland's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,326
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $66,520 a year
- 62% of Parkland renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$84,600
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $42,300
- Homes cost 5.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 18% above US
$1,663/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,663 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $423,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $423,000 · 62% 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
Parkland 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▲ 17% above US
31 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 51% below US
18% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park (31 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Parkland's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,663/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.
Other places near Parkland
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