Moving to
Port Orchard.

All Port Orchard data Compare Port Orchard

17,149people live here $89,795median household income▲ 11% above US $1,797median rent per month▲ 27% above US $539,700median home value▲ 62% above US

What it's like to live in Port Orchard

Port Orchard is a small city in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Port Orchard deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Clean air
Fast-growing population

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High student-teacher ratio
High rent burden for renters
Above-average rainfall

How Port Orchard compares

Median household income

Port Orchard$89,795

Washington avg$98,141

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Port Orchard$1,797

Washington avg$1,760

US$1,413

Median home value

Port Orchard$539,700

Washington avg$564,600

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Port Orchard

Based on Port Orchard's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,594

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,880 a year
52% of Port Orchard renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$107,940

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $53,970
Homes cost 6.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 27% above US

$1,797/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,797 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $539,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $539,700 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Kitsap County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Kitsap County (county-wide)

SafetyNear US average

298 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 2232/100k · Port Orchard Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 26% above US

33 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.8 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. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% take public transit; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

68%

Work from home

13%

Carpool

7.4%

Public transit

6.8%

Walk

2.4%

Other

1.9%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. It's a wet climate overall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

35% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, 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 (16 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Port Orchard's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,797/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.

See all the data for Port Orchard →·All Washington cities →