Best PlacesWashington Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Washington, 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 ranks 15th of 50 U.S. states on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $110,000, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, state infrastructure, and thin health care access.
The best neighborhoods in Washington
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
The counties of Washington, grouped by direction and ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the state.
Snohomish County
Incomes run higher, tree cover is thicker, and more adults hold degrees.
King County
Big-city amenities are closer, though crime runs higher.
Whatcom County, Island County & Clallam County
It is quieter, though fewer households have young kids.
Grant County, Chelan County & Douglas County
Disaster risk is lower and homes cost less.
Klickitat County & Skamania County
Biking is worse and transit reaches fewer jobs.
Pierce County & Kitsap County
Scores close to Klickitat County & Skamania County, except that streets are more walkable here.
Benton County, Yakima County & Franklin County
Health care is harder to reach and fewer residents vote.
Clark County & Thurston County
Health outcomes score lower.
Spokane County
More homes sit empty and local pay stretches less far.
Washington shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 2% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Washington's strengths and weaknesses
Washington lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Clean air, transit, and high incomes carry most of that.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. Childcare costs, state infrastructure, and thin health care access hold the score down. Cost swings more from one part of Washington to another than it does between Washington and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Washington ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of states
- TransitBetter than 91% of states
- Household income$110,000 median, better than 89% of states
- Health outlookBetter than 89% of states
- Low vacancyBetter than 88% of states
Where Washington ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,529 a month, better than only 7% of states
- State infrastructureBetter than only 15% of states
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 17% of states
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 17% of states
- Short commute26.6 minutes each way, better than only 24% of states
What it costs to buy a home in Washington
A household needs to earn about $163,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Washington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $110,000, 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 Washington's effective rate of 0.77%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Washington
Washington'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.
Who works in Washington, and how
Work in Washington centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Washington
Washington has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most states and more late-night spots per resident than 83% of states. Washington has 157 miles of ocean coastline. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Washington and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Washington, month by month
Washington sees roughly 126 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 62° | 52° | 43° |
| July | 81° | 68° | 58° |
| October | 63° | 54° | 46° |
The best schools in and around Washington
Schools across Washington average a B−, better than 65% of states.
Top elementary schools
- Priest Lake Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Columbia City SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Sam Boardman Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lakeridge Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Sacajawea Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- St Helens Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Prairie Jr/sr High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- St Helens High SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Riverside Junior/senior High SchoolD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Washington school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Washington 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 against the other 49 states.
Who Washington suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 75% of states and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Washington
Is Washington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Washington ranks 15th of 50 states. It scores highest on clean air, transit, and high incomes, and lowest on childcare costs and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Washington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $628,188. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $110,000 median income, cost of living beats 75% of states.
Is Washington safe?
Washington is safer than 49% of states. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $508 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Washington?
July highs average about 81 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 35. That works out to about 126 pleasant days a year, more than 83% of states.
What are the best areas in Washington?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Snohomish County, King County, and Whatcom County, Island County & Clallam County. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Washington good for families?
Schools beat 65% of states, crime safety beats 49%, and childcare runs $1,529 a month.
Is Washington good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 75% of states, though advertised internet speeds beat only 47% of states. About 19% of workers already work from home.
Compare Washington with other states
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Washington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Washington 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 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Washington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Washington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Washington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Washington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Washington 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.
- 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.