Living in Gig Harbor.

A harbor town across the Narrows from Tacoma, with fishing boats and historic net sheds along the water.

Mount Rainier above the boats in Gig Harbor

Life in Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor is a city on a small bay off Puget Sound, across the Tacoma Narrows from Tacoma. Seventeen historic net sheds still stand on its western shore, passed down for generations in fishing families, mostly of Croatian descent.

Getting to Seattle

State Route 16 crosses the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Interstate 5 in Tacoma. The bridge charges a toll only on trips toward Tacoma. On weekdays, the ST Express 595 bus runs to Seattle from the Purdy and Kimball Drive park and ride lots.

Schools

Peninsula School District serves the city. Check with the district for the schools at a specific address.

Weekends

The Cushman Trail runs 6.2 paved miles for walkers and cyclists. Kopachuck State Park, about 6 miles west of town, has more than a mile of saltwater shoreline and views of the Olympic Mountains.

Gig Harbor
by the numbers.

12,424 people live in Gig Harbor, with a median age of 46.6. The median household earns $118,395 a year.

People: 12,424
Median age: 46.6
Median household income: $118,395
Median home value: $767,100

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Figures are for the city limits.

Who lives
in Gig Harbor.

Age

Under 1014%
10 to 178%
18 to 244%
25 to 4423%
45 to 6421%
65 to 7416%
75 and over15%

Education, adults 25 and over

No high school diploma4%
High school13%
Some college21%
Associate degree10%
Bachelor’s degree28%
Graduate degree24%

Men and women

Men 47%Women 53%

Density and degrees

People per square mile: 2,100
Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 52%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Figures are for the city limits.

Schools
in Gig Harbor.

Public schools with a Gig Harbor address. The district’s boundary map shows which school serves a specific home.

Artondale Elementary SchoolPeninsula School DistrictPK–56219 40th Street NW, 983356.8
Discovery Elementary SchoolPeninsula School DistrictK–54905 Rosedale St NW, 983359.4
Harbor Heights Elementary SchoolPeninsula School DistrictPK–54002 36th St NW, 983358.6
Minter Creek ElementaryPeninsula School DistrictK–512617 118th Ave NW, 983296.7
Pioneer Elementary SchoolPeninsula School DistrictK–58402 Skansie Ave, 983327.7
Purdy Elementary SchoolPeninsula School DistrictPK–513815 62nd Ave NW, 983329.2
Swift Water ElementaryPeninsula School DistrictK–510811 Harbor Hill Drive, 983328.8
Voyager ElementaryPeninsula School DistrictK–510615 Kopachuck Dr NW, 983358.5

Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2023–24. State score: Washington School Improvement Framework 2025, OSPI, all students, on a 1–10 scale. A dash means the state did not publish a score for the school. Online and alternative programs are not listed.

Places to see
around Gig Harbor.

Jerisich Dock
The public dock in the heart of downtown, next to Skansie Brothers Park and its net shed from 1910. Summer concerts and the Thursday farmers market take place in the park.
Harbor History Museum
A museum of the harbor’s maritime and local history. A one-room schoolhouse from 1893 stands on its grounds.
Kopachuck State Park
A 109-acre state park on Henderson Bay, about six miles west of town, with over a mile of beach and sunset views of the Olympic Mountains.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Twin suspension bridges, opened in 1950 and 2007, that connect Gig Harbor with Tacoma. They are among the longest suspension bridges in the country.