Best Places98942, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 98942, 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.
98942 ranks 4,840th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 98942
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.
98942's strengths and weaknesses
Where 98942 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 157 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 84% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 98942 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,102 a month, better than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 98942
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 98942 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $86,794; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 98942's effective rate of 0.75%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 98942
98942 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 98942.
Who works in 98942, and how
Work in 98942 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 98942
98942 has more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 98942 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 98942, month by month
98942 sees roughly 157 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 32° | 23° |
| April | 67° | 52° | 35° |
| July | 94° | 77° | 55° |
| October | 67° | 50° | 35° |
Flying in and out of 98942
The nearest airport, Yakima Air Trml/McAllister Field, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 99 miles away.
98942 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 98942 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 98942
Is 98942 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 98942 ranks 4,840th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, the weather, and few empty homes, and lowest on state infrastructure and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 98942 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $374,147. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $86,794 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 98942 safe?
Yes, 98942 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $248 per resident a year.
Compare 98942 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 98942. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 98942 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.
98942 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 98942: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 98942: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 98942: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 98942: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
98942 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.