Tacoma's median household income reached $90,400 in 2025, topping the national median by more than $5,000, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data reported by The Seattle Times.

The figure places Tacoma well above the U.S. median of $84,800 but below Seattle's $122,800. Nationally, median household income rose 13.4% between 2022 and 2025, enough to outpace inflation.

Seattle's grew just 6.4% over the same stretch, falling behind a roughly 10% rise in consumer prices, the Seattle Times' Gene Balk reported.

The income picture arrives alongside a separate finding on jobs. Tacoma added 662 positions in 2025, a gain of about half a percent, according to a Downtown Seattle Association report based on Federal Reserve and Puget Sound Regional Council data.

The Seattle Times reported that Seattle lost 18,605 jobs over the same period, a 3% drop, with much of the loss concentrated in tech.

Bellevue posted the region's strongest growth, adding 5,375 jobs, a 4% increase. Everett gained 442 positions.

Tech losses drive Seattle's decline

Seattle's tech sector contracted sharply. Tech employment in the city fell 15% in 2025, to 42,344 workers, according to the Downtown Seattle Association report. Downtown Seattle alone accounted for 13,000 lost jobs, or 70% of the city's overall decline.

The region's largest employers have been cutting staff. Amazon eliminated more than 4,500 Washington jobs in two rounds, in October 2025 and February 2026, according to state layoff filings cited by the Seattle Times. Microsoft laid off about 3,200 Washington workers in 2025.

Jon Scholes, the Downtown Seattle Association's CEO, said in a statement that Seattle's job numbers "underscore the need for a course correction that makes Seattle more competitive and creates the conditions for employers to stay, invest and grow here."

Unemployment above the national rate

Washington's preliminary unemployment rate for September 2026 stood at 4.8%, according to the state Employment Security Department. The Seattle metro area matched that figure. Both exceeded the national rate of 4.1%.

The state rate had been climbing for roughly 19 months before dipping for three consecutive months through September, the department reported.

What it means for Tacoma

Tacoma's 662-job gain is modest. The sectors driving that growth are not specified in the available data. Still, the city is adding workers while its larger neighbor contracts.

In a Sept. 1 statement about a Fred Meyer store closure, Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen acknowledged residents' economic anxiety. He said he had "heard the fear and frustration from Tacoma residents who are scared of worsening food deserts and decreased access to their medications" and that residents "are also worried about where our economy is going."

Among the 22 Washington communities large enough to appear in the Census Bureau's annual survey, Tacoma's $90,400 median trails Seattle, four Eastside cities and South Hill, an unincorporated area near Puyallup at $121,900. Spokane sits at $73,900. Yakima has the state's lowest median at $62,700.

The broader Seattle metro area's employment grew just 1.7% between 2019 and 2025, lagging 19 other U.S. metro areas, according to the Downtown Seattle Association report.