Lakewood and Auburn receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Lakewood
Auburn
Opportunity
38 · Bottom 15%
vs40 · Bottom 18%
Growth
57 · Top 38%
vs32 · Bottom 19%
Climate
74 · Top 35%
vs74 · Top 35%
Physical resilience
33 · Bottom 25%
vs41 · Bottom 31%
Housing affordability
56 · Bottom 16%
vs65 · Bottom 27%
Access
87 · Bottom 33%
vs94 · Top 43%
Economic stability
50 · Bottom 32%
vs70 · Top 29%
Measured values
| Metric | Lakewood | Auburn | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 62,937 | 85,676 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $74,720 | $97,884 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $44,695 | $42,587 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 3,689/sq mi | 2,897/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $461,200 | $547,900 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,525 | $1,786 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 47.5% | 60.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 5.1% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.3% | -1.5% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.2% | 25.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 13.2% | 8.9% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 396 | 49 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 0.6 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 76°F | 77°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 36°F | 38°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 42.0" | 39.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 22 mi | 11 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 30.6 min | 32.9 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 37.4 | 36.0 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 26 | 33 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 16.19 | 17.80 | 2024-25 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 71.4% | 63.1% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Lakewood
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.
Auburn
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.
Full profiles: Lakewood, WA · Auburn, WA · How this is calculated: methodology