Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census. It is the second-largest city in the county, behind Tacoma, and is a suburban bedroom community. Lakewood is adjacent to the McChord AFB portion of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a major military installation for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.

History

Lakewood was officially incorporated as a city on February 28, 1996, on the same day as Edgewood. It immediately became the second largest city in Pierce County and among the largest in the state. Three previous attempts to incorporate as a city had been rejected by voters in 1971, 1990, and 1994 before it was approved by a 20-point margin on March 14, 1995, within a smaller area. Historical names include Tacoma/Lakewood Center and Lakes District (this name was used by the U.S. Census in the 1970 and 1980 Census). Lakewood is home to the Clover Park School District, the Lakewood Water District, Fort Steilacoom Park and Western State Hospital, a regional state psychiatric hospital.Answers to Questions Frequently Asked Western State Hospital Thornewood Castle was built in the vicinity of Tacoma in the area that is now Lakewood.

A small community near Arlington in Snohomish County with the name Lakewood had used the name for their post office since 1909, which led to confusion between the two areas. The United States Postal Service suggested that the new city be renamed due to frequent mixups in mail delivery that required the two post offices to forward deliveries with a one-day delay. The Snohomish County post office was renamed to North Lakewood in 1998 by the Postal Service due to the other community's unincorporated status.

In 1997, the Seafirst Bank robbery happened in Lakewood.

On November 29, 2009, four Lakewood Police Department officers were shot and killed at a coffee shop in Parkland by ex-convict Maurice Clemmons. All four officers had served with the department since its inception in 2004 and died at the scene; two baristas and several customers in the shop were not injured. Clemmons was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer two days later. The shooting is believed to be the most deadly attack on law enforcement in the state of Washington, and among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in the United States.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

There are several lakes within the city limits. The largest is American Lake, at with an average depth of , followed by Lake Steilacoom, Gravelly Lake, Lake Louise, and Waughop Lake. The Waughop Lake is incorporated into the aforementioned Fort Steilacoom Park. A number of small creeks flow through Lakewood, some of which drain into nearby Puget Sound. The largest of these, Chambers Creek, flows from Lake Steilacoom to Chambers Bay between nearby University Place and Steilacoom.

Demographics

Lakewood also boasts one of the few true International Districts in the South Sound along South Tacoma Way and Pacific Highway, with Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Latino and other influences (the population of Lakewood's Tillicum neighborhood is nearly half non-English speaking2008 needs assessment report, Tillicum Community Center, accessed June 17, 2020).

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lakewood had a population of 63,612. The median age was 36.8 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 25,506 households in Lakewood, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.4% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 26,999 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 31,287 49.2% Black or African American 8,335 13.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 841 1.3% Asian 5,807 9.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 2,512 3.9% Some other race 5,737 9.0% Two or more races 9,093 14.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 11,516 18.1%

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 58,163 people, 24,069 households, and 14,412 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 26,548 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 59.3% White, 11.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 9.0% Asian, 2.6% Pacific Islander, 7.3% from other races, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.3% of the population.

There were 24,069 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

Economy

, Lakewood has a total of 30,662 full-time jobs, of which over 9,000 are in the healthcare sector. The largest employer is St. Clare Hospital, with 598 employees, followed by Aero Precision and the Korean Women's Association. The city's economy is highly dependent on its proximity to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a major military installation with 55,000 total employees. The city had $1.65 billion in taxable retail sales in 2022.

Arts and culture

Local sites include: Fort Steilacoom, a historic army fort. Lakewold Gardens, an estate garden. Lakewood Towne Center, a shopping center. Lakewood Playhouse, a theater founded in 1938. Thornewood, a historic estate.

Library

Lakewood is served by the Pierce County Library System, which has operated a public library in the area since it was annexed in 1996. An earlier library had been established in the community in February 1947 at a hobby shop in the Clover Park Shopping Center. It moved between various buildings, including the basement of a local school, while funds were collected by the Friends of the Lakes District Library for a permanent building. The Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library opened on August 1, 1963, with donations from the Tenzler Foundation to cover the cost of construction and furnishings.

The Tenzler Library was expanded in 1974 with additional funds from the foundation and renamed to the Lakewood Library in 1982. The Pierce County Library System closed the branch in June 2022 after several building inspections had found substantial roof damage that would cost an estimated $22 million to repair. The Lakewood location had been one of the most-used in Pierce County prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. An interim Lakewood location opened in September 2024 after two years of lease negotiations; it cost $9.5 million to construct and includes of interior space. A permanent replacement is planned to be rebuilt on the same site as the original Lakewood Library at an unspecified date.

Education The Clover Park School District, which includes most of the city, operates all public schools within Lakewood. Private schools include St Frances Cabrini School, St Mary's Christian School, and Lakewood Lutheran School.

Lakewood is also home to Pierce College's Fort Steilacoom branch campus and Clover Park Technical College.

Portions of Lakewood are in the Steilacoom Historical School District and Tacoma Public Schools.

Media Lakewood's news is primarily covered by The News Tribune (Tacoma), and sometimes by the media in Seattle. Earlier weekly newspapers for the community were the Lakewood Log (circa 1930s), Suburban Times (1960s–1982), Lakewood Press (1980s), and Lakewood Journal (1990s).

KLAY-AM radio provides Lakewood-specific talk radio. KVTI-FM, known as "I-91 FM", broadcast top 40 music from its Lakewood studio at Clover Park Technical College until 2010, when the college transferred management of the station to Washington State University's Northwest Public Radio who discontinued the locally produced programming in favor of a network feed from the University's Pullman campus. The Clover Park School District operated KCPQ (thus the call letters) until 1980, when the district sold the station to Kelly Broadcasting.

Lakewood receives Seattle area television and radio stations. Religion Religion in Lakewood reflects the broader religious composition of Washington state and the South Puget Sound. Christianity is the largest religious tradition, with a strong presence of non-denominational Protestant churches alongside Roman Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Orthodox Christian congregations. Roman Catholicism is represented principally by the Lakewood Catholic Parish Family, According to the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, 51% of adults in Washington identify as Christian, including 23% Evangelical Protestant, 14% Catholic, and 9% Mainline Protestant, while 38% identify as religiously unaffiliated. The city’s proximity to Joint Base Lewis–McChord and its diverse population have also contributed to the presence of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh communities.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The western terminus of State Route 512 is in Lakewood, at its intersection with Interstate 5. A highway across Joint Base Lewis–McChord, to be part of State Route 704, was planned in the 2000s to connect with Interstate 5 in Lakewood. It was postponed and later cancelled due to high costs and issues in environmental review.

Lakewood is served by Pierce Transit, a public transit operator that serves the county and is headquartered in the city. Lakewood station is served by Pierce Transit and Sound Transit Express buses as well as the Sounder commuter rail system. It opened in 2012 as the southern terminus of the Sounder S Line, which runs north through Tacoma and the Green River Valley to Seattle.

Police The City of Lakewood contracted with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office for police services between 1996 and 2004. Independent police and patrol operations under the Lakewood Police Department began on November 1, 2004.

Firefighters Lakewood is served by West Pierce Fire and Rescue (WPFR). WPFR was formed by merging Lakewood Fire District 2 into University Place Fire District 3 in 2011. WPFR has 6 stations with 5 located in Lakewood and 1 located in University Place. WPFR also serves the Town of Steilacoom through a contract for services, however, service is provided to the Town via the stations located in Lakewood.

Utilities