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Pierce County, Washington
930,319 residents · Updated Nov 12, 2026
The community services in Pierce County, from the data behind Range Lab’s tools, refreshed daily.
View above Panhandle Gap. - Flickr - brewbooks · Photo: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Listings a voucher can reach, per 100 voucher households
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Needs today’s listings and HUD’s voucher count
People counted homeless, 2025
2,956
+295 vs. 2024 · 1,433 unsheltered · one January night, across Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County CoC (WA-503)
Year-round shelter beds
1,581
Emergency shelter, across Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County CoC (WA-503) · 1,558 permanent supportive housing beds
Income-restricted properties with open waitlists
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No income-restricted properties tracked here yet
Point-in-Time count, Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County CoC (WA-503)
HUD counts people experiencing homelessness on one night each January, by Continuum of Care. Pierce County is part of Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County CoC; these figures cover the whole CoC, not just the county.
Where people slept, by year
The unsheltered share rose from 36% to 48% of everyone counted (2023 to 2025).
Shelter beds against people counted
In 2025 there were 62 year-round shelter beds per 100 people counted. Rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing are not shelter and are shown below.
| Year | All people | Sheltered | Unsheltered | Shelter beds (ES + TH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,148 | 1,385 | 763 | 1,800 |
| 2024 | 2,661 | 1,445 | 1,216 | 2,007 |
| 2025 | 2,956 | 1,523 | 1,433 | 1,842 |
| Group | 2025 |
|---|---|
| All people | 2,956 |
| Sheltered | 1,523 |
| Unsheltered | 1,433 |
| Chronically homeless | 702 |
| Veterans | 229 |
| People in families with children | 476 |
| Unaccompanied youth | 149 |
Year-round beds by type
4,079 beds
| Emergency shelter | 1,581 | 39% |
|---|---|---|
| Transitional housing | 261 | 6% |
| Rapid re-housing | 679 | 17% |
| Permanent supportive housing | 1,558 | 38% |
Only the first two are shelter. Rapid re-housing is short-term rental help; permanent supportive housing is long-term housing with services.
How WA-503 compares with other Washington CoCs
People counted homeless per 10,000 residents, 2025. Each Continuum of Care’s count divided by the population of the counties it covers.
- Seattle/King County (WA-500)74
- Spokane City & County (WA-502)33
- Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County (WA-503)32
- Washington Balance of State (WA-501)28
- Vancouver/Clark County (WA-508)27
- Everett/Snohomish County (WA-504)14
Tacoma/Lakewood/Pierce County counts 32 per 10,000, ranking 3rd of 6 Washington CoCs. Populations are county totals; a county split between CoCs is divided evenly.
Subsidized housing in the county
HUD-assisted units (Picture of Subsidized Households, 2025) and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units.
HUD-assisted units, by program
10,592 units
| Housing Choice Vouchers in use | 8,503 | 80% |
|---|---|---|
| Project-based Section 8 and similar | 2,030 | 19% |
| Public housing units | 59 | 1% |
About 80% of assisted households rent on the private market with a voucher. Average income of assisted households: $19,524.
Can a voucher find a home today?
Listings at or below Fair Market Rent, against households holding a voucher.
Needs today’s rental listings and HUD’s voucher count for the county.
Tax-credit (LIHTC) units placed in service, and when their affordability ends
9,350 low-income units across 97 properties. Affordability commitments run 30 years (15 before 1990), so 2,631 units reach the end of their commitment between now and 2035 unless owners renew.
In the Range Lab directory, Pierce County has 21 shelter and crisis-housing listings and 66 housing-assistance listings today.
Sources: HUD Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory counts (by Continuum of Care); HUD Picture of Subsidized Households; HUD LIHTC database; Census ACS 2024 5-year population; Range Lab RST income-restricted property listings and rental listings. About the data.