Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 38/100
D−
Median home value$624,800
Seattle $717,500
Median rent$1,762/mo
Seattle $2,000/mo
Cost-burdened households40%
Seattle 35%
University Place
Pierce County34,911 residents2 school districts
60
C
Suburbgrade score
26th of 59 Seattle suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
60
Seattle median 59
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for University Place yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What University Place is like to live in, by category
Bars show University Place against Seattle. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 73/100
B
Within-state proficiency84th pct
Seattle median 70th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.6
Seattle median 18.4
Graduation rate93%
Seattle median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index91
Seattle 100
Eff. tax rate1.02%
Seattle 0.77%
Local sales tax10.20%
Seattle median 10.30%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 58/100
C
Mean commute28.0 min
Seattle 29.2 min
Under 30 minutes63%
Seattle 55%
Transit stops / sq mi7.3
Seattle median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 77/100
B
Restaurants & cafés46
Seattle median 84 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Seattle median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks100
Seattle median 95 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median household income$99,031
Seattle $115,177
Unemployment5.1%
Seattle 4.8%
Professional occupations48%
Seattle 52%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for University Place yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than University Place on housing & affordability
University Place's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Artondale8 mi from University PlaceC+ 54 C− Bonney Lake18 mi from University PlaceC− 58 C Fairwood25 mi from University PlaceC− 54 C− Covington23 mi from University PlaceC− 56 C− Graham18 mi from University PlaceD+ 45 D Lakeland North15 mi from University PlaceD+ 53 C− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in University Place
Is University Place, WA a good place to live?
University Place scores 60 out of 100, 26th of 59 Seattle suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is University Place expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $624,800, 13% below the Seattle median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.02%. $1,762/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in University Place?
Schools grade B. The districts serving University Place sit at the 84th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 19.6 student–teacher ratio. University Place is served by University Place School District and Tacoma School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from University Place?
The mean commute is 28.0 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 17% working from home. Transit density is 7.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in University Place?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 46 restaurants and cafés and 100 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in University Place old or new?
The median home in University Place was built in 1981 — close to the Seattle median of 1985. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 61% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.