The 10 Best Seattle Suburbs To Live In For 2022


We analyzed over 53 places around Seattle to identify the most in demand places to live.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best Seattle suburbs.

Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Seattle are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Seattle for 2022:

  1. Mercer Island
  2. Medina
  3. Sammamish
  4. Snoqualmie
  5. Newcastle
  6. Duvall
  7. Lake Forest Park
  8. Clyde Hill
  9. Bainbridge Island
  10. Bellevue

What's the best suburb of Seattle? Mercer Island ranks as the best suburb of Seattle for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mercer Island, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Seattle 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.

Feel free to check out some more reading about Washington:

The 10 Best Seattle Suburbs To Live For 2022

Mercer Island is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Seattle area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Mercer Island."

Everyone here is rich; families average $150,506 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Seattle region. And only 2.23% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,386,300 each.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 25,820
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 2)
Median Income: $150,506
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Mercer Island: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Mercer Island, WA

Medina is the second best 'burb we looked at near Seattle for 2022.

It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 0.67% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 3,283
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 4)
Median Income: $185,163
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Medina: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Medina, WA

Source: Public domain

Here in Sammamish, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Seattle metro area.

The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.

But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Sammamish.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 65,265
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Median Income: $181,464
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Sammamish: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Sammamish, WA

Snoqualmie ranks as the 4th best suburb of Seattle for 2022.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Snoqualmie and the schools are some of the best around.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,550
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $159,450
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 0.6%
More on Snoqualmie: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Snoqualmie, WA

Coming in as the fifth best is Newcastle.

Newcastle gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Seattle area, where houses sell for an average of $780,100. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 12,078
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 6)
Median Income: $155,933
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Newcastle: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Newcastle, WA

Duvall is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.

Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.93% which is 4th best in the area.

According to online reports, Duvall is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Seattle area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 7,979
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Median Income: $162,622
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 1.7%
More on Duvall: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Duvall, WA

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lake Forest Park.

Lake Forest Park schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.

And, it's only 10.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,455
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Income: $138,043
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Lake Forest Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lake Forest Park, WA

Clyde Hill is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.

A solid 0.51% of people lack insurance, good for 1st in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,360
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 6)
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.5%
More on Clyde Hill: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Clyde Hill, WA

Is 'Everything Better In Bainbridge Island?'

Almost.

It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 24,859
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $125,861
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Bainbridge Island: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bainbridge Island, WA

And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Bellevue.

This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 146,145
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $129,497
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 6.8%
More on Bellevue: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bellevue, WA

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Seattle for 2022

Figuring out the best suburbs around Seattle was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • Low unemployment rate
  • High Median household incomes
  • Population density (lots of things to do)
  • High home values
  • A lot of college educated people
  • Low poverty
  • High rate of insured families

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Seattle.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 54 suburbs to evaluate around Seattle.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 54 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Seattle." We're lookin' at you, Mercer Island. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Seattle 'Burbs of 2022

We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Seattle, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more Washington reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Seattle Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Mercer Island, WA 25,820 $150,506
2 Medina, WA 3,283 $185,163
3 Sammamish, WA 65,265 $181,464
4 Snoqualmie, WA 13,550 $159,450
5 Newcastle, WA 12,078 $155,933
6 Duvall, WA 7,979 $162,622
7 Lake Forest Park, WA 13,455 $138,043
8 Clyde Hill, WA 3,360 $250,001
9 Bainbridge Island, WA 24,859 $125,861
10 Bellevue, WA 146,145 $129,497
11 Redmond, WA 67,959 $132,770
12 Mill Creek, WA 20,750 $104,951
13 Brier, WA 6,899 $124,651
14 Kenmore, WA 22,969 $115,093
15 Kirkland, WA 91,146 $116,595
16 Woodinville, WA 13,038 $114,967
17 Maple Valley, WA 26,739 $117,706
18 Normandy Park, WA 6,643 $102,212
19 Mukilteo, WA 21,414 $102,903
20 Edmonds, WA 42,347 $91,499
21 Issaquah, WA 38,707 $122,053
22 Black Diamond, WA 4,703 $111,250
23 Gig Harbor, WA 10,280 $84,861
24 Edgewood, WA 12,010 $103,193
25 Shoreline, WA 56,835 $91,524
26 Bothell, WA 46,386 $107,651
27 Carnation, WA 2,165 $112,647
28 Mountlake Terrace, WA 21,328 $80,738
29 Covington, WA 21,131 $106,737
30 University Place, WA 33,661 $77,832
31 Fircrest, WA 6,844 $82,578
32 Renton, WA 101,871 $79,824
33 Lake Stevens, WA 33,470 $93,087
34 Monroe, WA 19,403 $88,683
35 Poulsbo, WA 10,869 $72,813
36 North Bend, WA 7,161 $119,392
37 Pacific, WA 7,122 $65,022
38 Lynnwood, WA 38,538 $62,926
39 Milton, WA 8,211 $77,064
40 Snohomish, WA 10,141 $70,234
41 Federal Way, WA 96,812 $68,672
42 Des Moines, WA 31,983 $70,268
43 Burien, WA 51,588 $71,233
44 Tacoma, WA 215,766 $64,457
45 Fife, WA 10,345 $75,151
46 Auburn, WA 80,914 $76,410
47 Kent, WA 130,038 $73,891
48 Port Orchard, WA 14,303 $71,719
49 Everett, WA 110,840 $66,023
50 Sumner, WA 10,246 $68,447
51 Algona, WA 3,207 $73,611
52 Seatac, WA 29,102 $66,131
53 Bremerton, WA 41,258 $57,963
54 Tukwila, WA 20,265 $63,053

How Is Your Town In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.