Best Places99208, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99208, 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.
99208 ranks 2,774th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99208
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.
99208's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99208 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 99208 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,197 a month, better than only 20% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99208
A household needs to earn about $120,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99208 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $99,380, 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 99208'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99208
99208'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 99208.
Who works in 99208, and how
Work in 99208 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 99208
99208 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 99208 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99208, month by month
99208 sees roughly 106 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 32° | 26° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 36° |
| July | 91° | 74° | 56° |
| October | 63° | 49° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 99208
The nearest airport, Spokane International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 228 miles away.
99208 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 99208 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 99208 suits
Families
Schools land around the 49th percentile and crime safety beats 87%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 99208
Is 99208 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99208 ranks 2,774th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, fast internet, and few empty homes, 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 99208 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $459,140. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $99,380 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 99208 safe?
Yes, 99208 is safer than 87% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $305 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 99208?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 39 with lows near 26. That works out to about 106 pleasant days a year, more than 67% of zip codes.
Is 99208 good for families?
Schools beat 49% of zip codes, crime safety beats 87%, and childcare runs $1,197 a month.
Compare 99208 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99208. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99208 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.
99208 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99208: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99208: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99208: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99208: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99208 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.