Port Townsend is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 10,388 people and five associated neighborhoods, Port Townsend is the 96th largest community in Washington. Housing costs in Port Townsend are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Washington.Unlike some cities, Port Townsend isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Port Townsend are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Port Townsend is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Port Townsend who work in management occupations (14.95%), sales jobs (8.84%), and office and administrative support (8.70%). Of important note, Port Townsend is also a city of artists. Port Townsend has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Port Townsend’s character. Also of interest is that Port Townsend has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Port Townsend telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 23.69% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Port Townsend is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Port Townsend spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.70 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.If knowledge is power, Port Townsend is a pretty powerful place. 54.72% of the adults in Port Townsend have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in Port Townsend in 2022 was $43,155, which is upper middle income relative to Washington and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $172,620 for a family of four. However, Port Townsend contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. The people who call Port Townsend home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Port Townsend residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Port Townsend include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish. The most common language spoken in Port Townsend is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.
