Best Places98381, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 98381, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
98381 ranks 27,922nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 98381
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
98381's strengths and weaknesses
Where 98381 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 98381 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$48,187 median, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 98381
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 98381 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $48,187, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 98381's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 98381
98381 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 98381.
Who works in 98381, and how
Work in 98381 centers on public administration and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 98381
98381 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of zip codes. The coast is about 4 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 98381 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 98381, month by month
98381 sees roughly 93 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 71 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 58° | 47° | 38° |
| July | 71° | 60° | 51° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 98381
The nearest airport, Friday Harbor, is about 64 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 112 miles away.
98381 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 98381 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 98381
Is 98381 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 98381 ranks 27,922nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, quiet, and clean air, and lowest on internet speeds and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 98381 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $261,956. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $48,187 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 98381 safe?
98381 is safer than 21% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $597 per resident a year.
Compare 98381 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 98381. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 98381 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
98381 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 98381: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 98381: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 98381: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 98381: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
98381 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.