Best PlacesNorthwest Spokane, Spokane, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Spokane, Spokane, 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.
Northwest Spokane, Spokane ranks 1,360th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Spokane, Spokane
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.
Northwest Spokane, Spokane's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Spokane, Spokane ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Spokane, Spokane ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 38% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 41% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Spokane, Spokane
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Spokane, Spokane home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $93,899; 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 Northwest Spokane, Spokane's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 Northwest Spokane, Spokane
Northwest Spokane, Spokane'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 Northwest Spokane, Spokane.
Who works in Northwest Spokane, Spokane, and how
Work in Northwest Spokane, Spokane 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 Northwest Spokane, Spokane
Northwest Spokane, Spokane has more parkland per resident than 89% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Northwest Spokane, Spokane and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Spokane, Spokane, month by month
Northwest Spokane, Spokane sees roughly 109 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 30° | 24° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 89° | 74° | 58° |
| October | 61° | 48° | 38° |
Flying in and out of Northwest Spokane, Spokane
The nearest airport, Spokane International, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 227 miles away.
Northwest Spokane, Spokane 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 Northwest Spokane, Spokane against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwest Spokane, Spokane
Is Northwest Spokane, Spokane a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Spokane, Spokane ranks 1,360th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, fast internet, and civic engagement, and lowest on distance from a big city and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Spokane, Spokane expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $368,687. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $93,899 median income, cost of living beats 75% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Spokane, Spokane safe?
Yes, Northwest Spokane, Spokane is safer than 84% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $397 per resident a year.
Compare Northwest Spokane, Spokane with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Spokane, Spokane. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Spokane, Spokane 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.
Northwest Spokane, Spokane detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Spokane, Spokane: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Spokane, Spokane: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Spokane, Spokane: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Spokane, Spokane: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Spokane, Spokane 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.