Best Places98802, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 98802, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
98802 ranks 4,173rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 98802
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.
98802's strengths and weaknesses
Where 98802 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 175 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute18.9 minutes each way, better than 89% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 98802 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,077 a month, better than only 28% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 98802
A household needs to earn about $116,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 98802 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $94,712, 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 98802's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 98802
98802'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 98802.
Who works in 98802, and how
Work in 98802 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 87%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 98802
98802 has more parkland per resident than 82% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 98802 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 98802, month by month
98802 sees roughly 175 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 29° | 23° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 92° | 77° | 62° |
| October | 63° | 51° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 98802
The nearest airport, Pangborn Memorial, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 95 miles away.
98802 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 98802 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 98802 suits
Families
Schools land around the 38th percentile and crime safety beats 81%.
Common questions about living in 98802
Is 98802 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 98802 ranks 4,173rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, the weather, and short commutes, and lowest on state infrastructure and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 98802 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $444,860. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $94,712 median income, cost of living beats 67% of zip codes.
Is 98802 safe?
Yes, 98802 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $299 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 98802?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 35 with lows near 23. That works out to about 175 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of zip codes.
Is 98802 good for families?
Schools beat 38% of zip codes, crime safety beats 81%, and childcare runs $1,077 a month.
Compare 98802 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 98802. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 98802 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.
98802 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 98802: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 98802: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 98802: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 98802: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
98802 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.