Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Washington a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Washington.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Evergreen State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Washington, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 39 counties in the state.
Island County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Washington. And you should avoid Yakima County if you can — at least according to the data.
$90,551 median income · 4.3% unemployment
$124,746 median income · 4.8% unemployment
$104,158 median income · 4.7% unemployment
$111,246 median income · 4.5% unemployment
$84,800 median income · 3.7% unemployment
$96,563 median income · 5.2% unemployment
$99,564 median income · 5.2% unemployment
$93,265 median income · 5.2% unemployment
$74,048 median income · 6.6% unemployment
$81,784 median income · 4.8% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Washington’s statewide median.
Washington statewide median: $98,141
Washington statewide median: $601,016
Washington statewide median: 5.1%
On the map
Where Washington’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Washington county is the best?
To give you the best county in Washington, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Washington across each of the criteria from one to 39, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Washington.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Evergreen State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Washington.
Read on to see why Island County is the best county, while Yakima County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Washington.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Washington
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Island County | 86,836 | $90,551 | $636,280 |
| 2 | King County | 2,287,171 | $124,746 | $871,203 |
| 3 | Kitsap County | 277,881 | $104,158 | $581,186 |
| 4 | Snohomish County | 844,430 | $111,246 | $762,457 |
| 5 | San Juan County | 18,478 | $84,800 | $875,339 |
| 6 | Thurston County | 299,067 | $96,563 | $529,712 |
| 7 | Pierce County | 930,319 | $99,564 | $569,201 |
| 8 | Skamania County | 12,402 | $93,265 | $558,353 |
| 9 | Jefferson County | 33,577 | $74,048 | $594,864 |
| 10 | Whatcom County | 230,503 | $81,784 | $615,922 |
| 11 | Clark County | 516,959 | $97,536 | $550,945 |
| 12 | Skagit County | 131,328 | $89,263 | $581,879 |
| 13 | Spokane County | 549,056 | $78,582 | $421,160 |
| 14 | Chelan County | 80,172 | $82,381 | $532,390 |
| 15 | Wahkiakum County | 4,658 | $62,653 | $394,449 |
| 16 | Douglas County | 44,366 | $80,363 | $490,676 |
| 17 | Clallam County | 77,813 | $70,370 | $491,326 |
| 18 | Kittitas County | 47,172 | $73,804 | $491,430 |
| 19 | Benton County | 212,905 | $89,874 | $448,374 |
| 20 | Pacific County | 23,994 | $67,081 | $333,083 |
| 21 | Lewis County | 85,154 | $74,796 | $432,807 |
| 22 | Stevens County | 48,067 | $69,327 | $366,840 |
| 23 | Garfield County | 2,353 | $64,884 | $242,094 |
| 24 | Asotin County | 22,467 | $72,283 | $342,122 |
| 25 | Cowlitz County | 112,360 | $76,531 | $416,973 |
| 26 | Columbia County | 4,014 | $71,810 | $263,242 |
| 27 | Mason County | 67,982 | $83,270 | $449,928 |
| 28 | Lincoln County | 11,489 | $71,512 | $317,803 |
| 29 | Klickitat County | 23,411 | $71,042 | $462,971 |
| 30 | Pend Oreille County | 14,050 | $67,436 | $366,563 |
| 31 | Walla Walla County | 62,161 | $74,202 | $413,300 |
| 32 | Whitman County | 47,003 | $55,406 | $320,724 |
| 33 | Franklin County | 98,902 | $86,714 | $418,168 |
| 34 | Ferry County | 7,387 | $55,614 | $289,885 |
| 35 | Adams County | 20,800 | $66,136 | $309,432 |
| 36 | Okanogan County | 43,425 | $63,207 | $312,253 |
| 37 | Grant County | 101,799 | $73,267 | $359,154 |
| 38 | Grays Harbor County | 77,053 | $64,414 | $318,140 |
| 39 | Yakima County | 257,152 | $70,656 | $350,640 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 39 Washington counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Washington To Call Home For 2026
Living in Washington can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Washington are Island County, King County, Kitsap County, Snohomish County, San Juan County, Thurston County, Pierce County, Skamania County, Jefferson County, and Whatcom County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Washington? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Washington FAQs
What is the best county to live in Washington?
Island County is the best county to live in Washington for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. King County and Kitsap County are next.
What are the best counties in Washington?
The best counties to live in Washington are Island County, King County, Kitsap County, Snohomish County, San Juan County, Thurston County, Pierce County, Skamania County, Jefferson County, and Whatcom County. We ranked all 39 Washington counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Island County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Island County?
The median household income in Island County is $90,551 and the median home costs $636,280. Statewide, the typical Washington home runs $601,016.
Which county in Washington should you think twice about?
Yakima County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Washington. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 39 counties.
