Federal Way vs Norwalk
The short version
- Norwalk is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Federal Way area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $552,800 in Federal Way and $558,000 in Norwalk.
- Households earn more in Norwalk ($107,616 vs $86,909 median).
- Federal Way has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 38°F.
- Norwalk gets far more snow: 34 inches a year vs 6.
- Norwalk is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs -1.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Norwalk (27 vs 32 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Connecticut's top rate is 6.99%.
Side by side
| Federal Way, WA | Norwalk, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 99,729 | 94,508 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 4,469 | 4,129 |
| Median age | 37.4 | 40.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $86,909 | $107,616 |
| Median home value | $552,800 | $558,000 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 5.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,797 | $2,073 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 106.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 150.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $80,100 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | 6.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 6.35% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 32.1 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 13% | 9.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 38° | 38° / 24° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 83° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 44 in |
| Snowfall per year | 6 in | 34 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 9 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 92 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | n/a |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | n/a |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 65% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +5.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +53.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Federal Way: May to September. Norwalk: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Federal Way weather by month and Norwalk weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Federal Way and $80,100 in Norwalk. Moving from Federal Way to Norwalk, you would need about $72,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Federal Way and Norwalk
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Federal Way and Norwalk.
Which would you pick?
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