Best PlacesNortheast Tacoma, Tacoma, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma ranks 1,624th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
Where Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma ranks low
- Short commute34.8 minutes each way, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
A household needs to earn about $173,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $121,551, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma's effective rate of 0.90%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma.
Who works in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma, and how
Work in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most neighborhoods. The coast is about 3 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma, month by month
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma sees roughly 127 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 79 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 42° | 36° |
| April | 60° | 49° | 41° |
| July | 79° | 65° | 54° |
| October | 61° | 52° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
Seattle-Tacoma International sits about 12 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.4 million passengers in 2025, with 172 nonstop destinations.
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of neighborhoods and 18% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 65% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 88%.
Common questions about living in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma
Is Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma ranks 1,624th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, tree cover, and quiet, and lowest on long commutes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $652,844. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $121,551 median income, cost of living beats 78% of neighborhoods.
Is Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma safe?
Yes, Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma is safer than 82% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $395 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma?
July highs average about 79 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 36. That works out to about 127 pleasant days a year, more than 65% of neighborhoods.
Is Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma good for families?
Schools beat 67% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 82%, and childcare runs $1,386 a month.
Compare Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.