Best Places98422, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 98422, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
98422 ranks 4,752nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 98422
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.
98422's strengths and weaknesses
Where 98422 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Household income$124,918 median, better than 91% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 98422 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,328 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Short commute33.6 minutes each way, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 98422
A household needs to earn about $179,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 98422 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $124,918, 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 98422's effective rate of 0.92%, 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 98422
98422's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 98422.
Who works in 98422, and how
Work in 98422 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 98422
The coast is about 3 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 98422, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 98422, month by month
98422 sees roughly 126 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 79 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 42° | 36° |
| April | 60° | 49° | 41° |
| July | 79° | 65° | 54° |
| October | 61° | 52° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 98422
Seattle-Tacoma International sits about 12 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.4 million passengers in 2025, with 172 nonstop destinations.
98422 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 98422 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 98422 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 98422
Is 98422 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 98422 ranks 4,752nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, high incomes, and clean air, and lowest on state infrastructure and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 98422 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $673,234. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $124,918 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 98422 safe?
Yes, 98422 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $375 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 98422?
July highs average about 79 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 36. That works out to about 126 pleasant days a year, more than 79% of zip codes.
Is 98422 good for families?
Schools beat 62% of zip codes, crime safety beats 63%, and childcare runs $1,328 a month.
Compare 98422 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 98422. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 98422 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.
98422 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 98422: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 98422: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 98422: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 98422: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
98422 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.