Port Townsend, Washington
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 4.9% since 2020.
10,678
people, the 91st-largest of Washington's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Washington's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
67.0%
of 4,798 jobs located in Port Townsend are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 99% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,578
a month. Washington's median is $1,760.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $741.
A $741 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Jefferson County.
- $1,349 Tract 9504
- $2,090 Tract 9503.02
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$998–$1,497
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,578 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
73% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 698 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
- 17% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 73% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.2–0.8% to the 6,225 homes here.
14–48
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 4% less than Washington's.
$543,400
median home value in Port Townsend.
- $543,400 Port Townsend
- $564,600 Washington
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year