Which Pierce County city pays the most in taxes? Answers ranked
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tacoma has the highest sales tax; Puyallup ties with city of Pacific at 10.2%.
- Sumner records the highest property tax average at 11.7%.
- All county sales taxes will rise July 1 if council approves a 0.1% public safety tax.
The state of Washington is an outlier with its reliance on sales and property tax, as opposed to corporate or personal income tax. Seattle and Tacoma rank first and second for highest combined state and local sales tax rates among major U.S. cities, according to the Tax Foundation.
How does the total sales tax rate vary from city to city within Pierce County? Which residents pay the most? The News Tribune put together a comprehensive list as of 2026, according to the state Department of Revenue.
Sales taxes in Washington consist of two parts: the state portion and the local portion, per the DOR. The state sales-and-use tax rate is 6.5% and goes to the state’s general fund to support education, human services, and other programs provided by the state.
Local tax rates vary by city and county. State law caps annual property tax increases to 1%. Cities and counties can vote on sales tax increases or a proposition can be brought in front of voters to fund a variety of projects, including affordable housing, criminal justice, the arts, jails, mental health services, public safety and transportation.
The city of Tacoma has a total sales tax rate of 10.3% but only part of that revenue goes directly to the city, said spokesperson Maria Lee. The state receives 6.5% to fund statewide services, 1.4% goes to Sound Transit, 1% goes to the city of Tacoma and 0.6% goes to Pierce Transit. Each of the following services receive 0.1%: affordable housing, Tacoma Creates (arts, culture, science and cultural heritage programs), Transportation Benefit District (for transportation improvements that align with state, regional and local plans), mental health and chemical dependency services, South Sound 911, criminal justice, juvenile detention and Parks Tacoma, said Lee.
Beyond sales tax, cities like Tacoma also rely on business and occupation taxes (a tax on business gross receipts that helps fund police officers, firefighters and libraries) and utility taxes (which are levied on utility providers), Lee said.
Of note: All the sales tax rates in Pierce County will go up beginning July 1 if the Pierce County Council approves a new 0.1% sales tax for public safety on March 3.
Tacoma has the highest sales tax rate
- City of Tacoma - 10.3%. The city of Tacoma expects the rate to rise to 10.4% in April following the approval of a recent 0.1% tax for public safety.
- Puyallup - 10.2%
- Pacific - 10.2%
- University Place - 10.1%
- Lakewood - 10.1%
- Ruston - 10.1%
- Steilacoom - 10.1%
- Edgewood - 10.1%
- Fife - 10.1%
- Fircrest - 10.1%
- Unincorporated Pierce County - ranges from 8.1% to 10.1%
- DuPont - 9.6%
- Sumner - 9.6%
- Bonney Lake - 9.5%
- Orting - 9.5%
- Gig Harbor - 9.1%
- Roy - 8.2%
- Buckley - 8.2%
Which city residents pay the most in property taxes?
Property taxes account for about 30% of total state and local taxes and are administered by the county’s Assessor-Treasurer Office, per the DOR. Pierce County has 86 property taxing districts (which include library districts, fire districts and parks districts), said deputy assessor-treasurer Katie Rose. Property taxes are charged at a rate per $1,000 of assessed value.
Like sales tax, cities like Tacoma only receive a fraction of the revenue.
On average, in Tacoma property owners pay $10.86 per $1,000 of assessed value. Only $1.69 of that goes to the city, to support general fund services like police, fire and libraries, Lee said. $0.50 goes to emergency medical services and the rest goes to other taxing districts like Tacoma Public Schools, Pierce County, the Port of Tacoma, Parks Tacoma and the state, she said.
Here are the local property tax averages, per $1,000 of assessed value:
- Sumner - $11.69
- Bonney Lake - $11.29
- Tacoma - $10.86
- Edgewood - $10.83
- Puyallup - $10.36
- Pacific - $10.17
- Roy - $10.12
- University Place - $9.98
- Fircrest- $9.36
- Buckley - $9.31
- Ruston - $9.13
- Lakewood - $9.12
- Fife - $9.01
- Steilacoom - $8.46
- Gig Harbor - $8.39
- Orting - $8.26
- DuPont - $7.91
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
