Cost of Living in North Fort Lewis, Washington

North Fort Lewis is a Census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, with a population of 5,701. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in North Fort Lewis is $36,112 a year — less than the annual cost of living for Washington of $38,410 and less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in North Fort Lewis and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Transportation Costs in North Fort Lewis, Washington

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In North Fort Lewis, 75.20% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 92.20% of workers commute to jobs outside of North Fort Lewis, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in North Fort Lewis is 9.9 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in North Fort Lewis spends $9,881 a year on transportation, about the same as the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in North Fort Lewis, Washington

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far lower than they are on average nationwide in North Fort Lewis but in line with what they are across Washington as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $3,386 per year, compared to an average of $3,351 across Washington and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in North Fort Lewis, Washington

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In North Fort Lewis, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $17,560, about $100 less than the comparable average of $17,688 across all of Washington. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in North Fort Lewis, Washington

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In North Fort Lewis, a single adult spends an average of $3,248 on food annually, and a family of four spends $9,380 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Washington and the U.S., respectively, are $3,364 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,715 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in North Fort Lewis, Washington

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in North Fort Lewis, Washington pays $5,268 annually — closely in line with the statewide average of $5,697.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, North Fort Lewis residents live in a state with a high average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Washington total $3,527 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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