Best Places99116, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99116, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99116 ranks 12,889th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99116
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.
99116's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99116 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Short commute16.7 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 139 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 99116 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99116
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99116 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,569, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 99116's effective rate of 0.56%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99116
99116's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 99116.
Who works in 99116, and how
Work in 99116 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 99116
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 99116.
What the weather is like in 99116, month by month
99116 sees roughly 139 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 28° | 23° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 35° |
| July | 94° | 77° | 58° |
| October | 64° | 50° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 99116
The nearest airport, Pangborn Memorial, is about 70 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 160 miles away.
99116 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 99116 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99116
Is 99116 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99116 ranks 12,889th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, quiet, and short commutes, and lowest on civic engagement and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99116 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $216,820. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $65,569 median income, cost of living beats 42% of zip codes.
Is 99116 safe?
Yes, 99116 is safer than 78% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $318 per resident a year.
Compare 99116 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99116. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99116 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.
99116 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99116: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99116: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99116: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99116: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99116 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.