If you want to really see Seattle, buy the CityPASS it will take you to places like the Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, and the Museum of Pop Culture; but, if you want to know where you should live in Seattle, take a look below at HomeSnacks’ list of The Emerald City’s best neighborhoods for 2026.
Seattle is where nature and a booming city meet in the Pacific Northwest. Incidentally, The City of Goodwill is one of the fastest growing cities in America. However, Seattle is not for the weak and neither are its best neighborhoods. The city is, unfortunately, one of the most expensive cities in America. So, if you want to live in Seattle’s best neighborhoods, be ready to shell out at least $749,396 and if you want to rent, be prepared to pay 20% above the national average.
Obviously a city with 695,607 residents means that it is doable–you’re just going to need to find a good job, the right neighborhood, and budget. We can help you with the right neighborhood. For example, if you want to live next to water because you’ve just watched Sleepless in Seattle, the Portage Bay neighborhood is a great place. If you want to live in the northeast corner of Seattle, be prepared to pay at least $550,000 for a home in the Bryant neighborhood. And if you want to live in Seattle’s best neighborhood, start applying to those jobs that pay at least $113,721/year–you’re going to need it.
Seattle might come with a hefty price tag, but it has great people, amazing food, and it’s safe. So, if you want to know the neighborhood that embodies all of these qualities and then some, keep reading.
$143,520 median income · $1,523,750 median home value
$210,921 median income · $1,500,867 median home value
$144,462 median income · $960,117 median home value
$182,711 median income · $1,229,700 median home value
$132,914 median income · $838,225 median home value
$160,074 median income · $1,000,000 median home value
$139,319 median income · $917,300 median home value
$141,201 median income · $767,500 median home value
$187,862 median income · $940,600 median home value
$127,134 median income · $908,813 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Seattle, WA neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Seattle, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 78 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Seattle.” We’re lookin’ at you, Windermere.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Seattle, Washington has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Seattle.
The full plate
Table: Best Seattle neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windermere | 1,900 | $1,523,750 | $143,520 |
| 2 | Laurelhurst | 3,147 | $1,500,867 | $210,921 |
| 3 | Madrona | 4,488 | $960,117 | $144,462 |
| 4 | Denny-Blaine | 1,134 | $1,229,700 | $182,711 |
| 5 | Bryant | 5,081 | $838,225 | $132,914 |
| 6 | Hawthorne Hills | 1,915 | $1,000,000 | $160,074 |
| 7 | North Beach | 2,562 | $917,300 | $139,319 |
| 8 | Magnolia | 19,471 | $767,500 | $141,201 |
| 9 | Olympic Manor | 2,666 | $940,600 | $187,862 |
| 10 | Queen Anne | 28,522 | $908,813 | $127,134 |
| 11 | Portage Bay | 1,891 | $1,142,650 | $167,367 |
| 12 | View Ridge | 4,352 | $784,500 | $152,296 |
| 13 | Whittier Heights | 6,181 | $710,475 | $126,064 |
| 14 | Leschi | 4,884 | $965,200 | $137,792 |
| 15 | Wedgwood | 10,926 | $792,455 | $133,957 |
| 16 | Madison Valley | 1,941 | $873,250 | $121,864 |
| 17 | Wallingford | 16,998 | $833,794 | $122,922 |
| 18 | Ravenna | 12,018 | $852,658 | $127,194 |
| 19 | Loyal Heights | 9,545 | $778,571 | $132,548 |
| 20 | Phinney Ridge | 11,319 | $841,450 | $120,498 |
| 21 | Matthews Beach | 6,348 | $782,183 | $134,463 |
| 22 | Fremont | 14,645 | $757,769 | $106,927 |
| 23 | Arbor Heights | 5,143 | $681,967 | $122,584 |
| 24 | Montlake | 2,382 | $1,028,050 | $209,141 |
| 25 | West Seattle | 30,285 | $715,152 | $114,356 |
| 26 | Blue Ridge | 2,056 | $763,567 | $133,868 |
| 27 | Crown Hill | 3,518 | $755,400 | $135,529 |
| 28 | Sunset Hill | 5,871 | $778,700 | $126,147 |
| 29 | Seward Park | 4,900 | $749,267 | $126,607 |
| 30 | Westlake | 5,252 | $676,800 | $134,864 |
| 31 | Broadmoor | 1,183 | $1,438,150 | $209,423 |
| 32 | Fauntleroy | 4,135 | $795,340 | $108,630 |
| 33 | Downtown | 18,952 | $728,205 | $104,919 |
| 34 | Green Lake | 10,751 | $761,711 | $115,032 |
| 35 | Greenwood | 18,085 | $633,528 | $98,236 |
| 36 | Maple Leaf | 13,133 | $655,680 | $112,090 |
| 37 | Belltown | 12,974 | $724,745 | $119,089 |
| 38 | Capitol Hill | 42,342 | $712,089 | $101,771 |
| 39 | Meadowbrook | 4,549 | $648,483 | $104,565 |
| 40 | Alki | 1,809 | $762,750 | $123,565 |
| 41 | Admiral | 12,572 | $725,325 | $131,429 |
| 42 | Broadview | 8,519 | $659,771 | $103,633 |
| 43 | Eastlake | 3,127 | $872,333 | $118,666 |
| 44 | Madison Park | 1,750 | $1,612,125 | $148,198 |
| 45 | Roosevelt | 3,994 | $832,550 | $125,118 |
| 46 | Cedar Park | 6,255 | $636,914 | $90,465 |
| 47 | Victory Heights | 6,008 | $607,917 | $106,968 |
| 48 | Pinehurst | 6,903 | $598,217 | $82,235 |
| 49 | Ballard | 20,145 | $717,026 | $111,230 |
| 50 | Central District | 19,378 | $694,700 | $89,534 |
| 51 | Brighton | 8,678 | $538,922 | $67,024 |
| 52 | University District | 31,937 | $850,889 | $61,264 |
| 53 | Lower Queen Anne | 13,141 | $652,042 | $89,961 |
| 54 | North College Park | 7,296 | $623,612 | $93,581 |
| 55 | Columbia City | 10,582 | $601,183 | $101,141 |
| 56 | Mount Baker | 10,406 | $700,367 | $105,979 |
| 57 | South Lake Union | 7,155 | $572,767 | $112,418 |
| 58 | Interbay | 3,359 | $767,220 | $112,626 |
| 59 | Bitter Lake | 9,207 | $540,100 | $62,397 |
| 60 | First Hill | 13,005 | $619,250 | $80,018 |
| 61 | Industrial District | 3,017 | $593,600 | $101,956 |
| 62 | Olympic Hills | 8,834 | $498,967 | $73,213 |
| 63 | High Point | 8,807 | $546,950 | $90,727 |
| 64 | South Delridge | 6,821 | $443,260 | $75,812 |
| 65 | Beacon Hill | 35,469 | $560,896 | $76,883 |
| 66 | Atlantic | 5,555 | $645,962 | $76,498 |
| 67 | Riverview | 3,738 | $485,375 | $94,884 |
| 68 | Highland Park | 6,752 | $468,420 | $77,412 |
| 69 | Haller Lake | 9,105 | $509,188 | $84,547 |
| 70 | Rainier Beach | 16,060 | $447,755 | $85,466 |
| 71 | North Delridge | 4,840 | $579,700 | $97,486 |
| 72 | Sand Point | 788 | $515,100 | $75,068 |
| 73 | Northgate | 4,414 | $481,040 | $65,554 |
| 74 | Roxhill | 5,468 | $507,300 | $83,584 |
| 75 | Georgetown | 1,949 | $491,060 | $76,727 |
| 76 | Pioneer Square | 654 | $637,150 | $80,342 |
| 77 | International District | 6,935 | $498,789 | $49,002 |
| 78 | South Park | 3,730 | $407,750 | $56,829 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 78 Seattle neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Seattle
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Seattle where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Seattle are Windermere, Laurelhurst, Madrona, Denny-Blaine, Bryant, Hawthorne Hills, North Beach, Magnolia, Olympic Manor, and Queen Anne.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Seattle aren’t all good. South Park takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Seattle.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Washington? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Seattle FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Seattle?
Windermere is the best neighborhood in Seattle for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Laurelhurst and Madrona are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Seattle?
The best neighborhoods in Seattle are Windermere, Laurelhurst, Madrona, Denny-Blaine, Bryant, Hawthorne Hills, North Beach, Magnolia, Olympic Manor, and Queen Anne. We ranked all 78 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Windermere?
The median household income in Windermere is $143,520 and the median home costs $1,523,750. The best blocks in Seattle rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Seattle neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Windermere, takes the top spot.
Which Seattle neighborhood ranked last?
South Park came in last of the 78 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Seattle the numbers put it there.
