Best PlacesWashington County, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Washington County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Washington County ranks 16th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $125,097, everyday costs sit below the national average, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, noise, and taxes.
The best neighborhoods in Washington County
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.
The best areas in Washington County
The parts of Washington County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Afton
Incomes run higher, local pay stretches further, and more adults hold degrees.
Woodbury & Cottage Grove
More households have young kids and prices have run up less.
Lake Elmo
It is noisier.
Oak Park Heights & Bayport
Scores close to Lake Elmo, except that biking is worse here.
Mahtomedi & Grant
Tree cover is thicker and more residents vote.
Stillwater
Schools score higher, though more homes sit empty.
Forest Lake & Hugo
Scores close to Stillwater, except that crime runs lower here.
St. Paul Park & Newport
Oakdale
Transit reaches more jobs and homes cost less.
Scores across Washington County run from about the 19th to the 100th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
Washington County's strengths and weaknesses
Washington County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Few empty homes is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. What local pay buys and civic engagement follow.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Noise and taxes also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Washington County ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 99% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of counties
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of counties
- Household income$125,097 median, better than 98% of counties
Where Washington County ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,682 a month, better than only 1% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 12% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 33% of counties
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 40% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Washington County
A household needs to earn about $118,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Washington County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $125,097, 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 Washington County's effective rate of 0.96%, 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 Washington County
Washington County'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 Washington County.
Who works in Washington County, and how
Work in Washington County centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Washington County
Washington County has more parkland per resident than 97% of counties. That concentrates in some parts of Washington County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Washington County growing, and who is moving in?
Washington County has grown about 14% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the Minneapolis, MN metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Washington County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Washington County, month by month
Washington County sees roughly 108 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 12° |
| April | 57° | 46° | 37° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 60° | 50° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Washington County
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 16 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 17.5 million passengers in 2025, with 195 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Washington County
Schools across Washington County average a B+, better than 81% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Gate 4/5A+ · 88% proficient
- St. Croix Preparatory Academy LowerA+ · 85% proficient
- Valley Crossing ElementaryA+ · 79% proficient
Top middle schools
- St. Croix Prep Academy MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
- Mahtomedi MiddleA · 62% proficient
- Lake Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- St. Croix Preparatory Academy UpperA · 77% proficient
- Mahtomedi Senior HighA · 72% proficient
- East Ridge High SchoolA · 71% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Washington County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Washington County 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 Washington County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Washington County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 99% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 23% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 66% of counties and health care access beats 98%.
Common questions about living in Washington County
Is Washington County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Washington County ranks 16th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on few empty homes, what local pay buys, and civic engagement, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Washington County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $440,085. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $125,097 median income, cost of living beats 99% of counties.
Is Washington County safe?
Yes, Washington County is safer than 96% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $217 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Washington County?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 26 with lows near 12. That works out to about 108 pleasant days a year, more than 66% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Washington County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Afton, Woodbury & Cottage Grove, and Lake Elmo. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Washington County good for families?
Schools beat 81% of counties, crime safety beats 96%, and childcare runs $1,682 a month.
Is Washington County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 99% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 74% of counties. About 23% of workers already work from home.
Compare Washington County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Washington County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Washington County 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.
Washington County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Washington County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Washington County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Washington County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Washington County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Washington County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.