The 10 Best Small Towns In Washington For 2023


The best small towns in Washington are Medina and Yarrow Point for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 26, 2023

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Washington. Best sururbs in Washington. Best counties in Washington.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Evergreen State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Washington based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Washington ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Before we get to the top 15, here’s a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Washington for 2023.

The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Washington For 2023

  1. Medina
  2. Yarrow Point
  3. Clyde Hill
  4. Lake Marcel-Stillwater
  5. Woodway
  6. Ames Lake
  7. Canterwood
  8. Ruston
  9. River Road
  10. Monroe North

What’s the best small town in Washington? Medina is the best small town in Washington based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Medina, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Evergreen State check out:

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns In Washington For 2023

1. Medina

Medina, WA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 2,928
Median Income: $208,500 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $2,000,001 (2nd Best)
More on Medina:

2. Yarrow Point

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 1,365
Median Income: $250,001 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $2,000,001 (2nd Best)
More on Yarrow Point:

3. Clyde Hill

Clyde Hill, WA

Source: Flickr User KurtClark | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 3,118
Median Income: $250,001 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $2,000,001 (2nd Best)
More on Clyde Hill:

4. Lake Marcel-Stillwater

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,465
Median Income: $153,750 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $551,900 (33rd Best)
More on Lake Marcel-Stillwater:

5. Woodway

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,119
Median Income: $188,125 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,235,700 (4th Best)
More on Woodway:

6. Ames Lake

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,264
Median Income: $146,481 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $816,100 (5th Best)
More on Ames Lake:

7. Canterwood

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,975
Median Income: $106,750 (48th Best)
Median Home Value: $667,100 (10th Best)
More on Canterwood:

8. Ruston

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,238
Median Income: $108,269 (43rd Best)
Median Home Value: $603,400 (18th Best)
More on Ruston:

9. River Road

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,056
Median Income: $128,962 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $347,600 (85th Best)
More on River Road:

10. Monroe North

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,037
Median Income: $169,375 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $624,600 (15th Best)
More on Monroe North:

11. Dash Point

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,035
Median Income: $123,906 (22nd Best)
Median Home Value: $684,400 (9th Best)
More on Dash Point:

12. Walla Walla East

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,062
Median Income: $78,387 (83rd Best)
Median Home Value: $370,400 (79th Best)
More on Walla Walla East:

13. Geneva

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,437
Median Income: $89,904 (65th Best)
Median Home Value: $470,600 (48th Best)
More on Geneva:

14. Clearview

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,621
Median Income: $163,750 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $643,500 (12th Best)
More on Clearview:

15. Carnation

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 2,219
Median Income: $123,158 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $560,500 (30th Best)
More on Carnation:

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Washington

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Washington possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 191 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 191, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Washington. Top of that list — Medina.

This is our tenth time ranking the best small places to live in Washington.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Washington are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Washington:

  1. Peaceful Valley
  2. Mattawa
  3. Neah Bay

For more Washington reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Small Towns In Washington

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value
1 Medina, WA 2,928 $208,500 $2,000,001
2 Yarrow Point, WA 1,365 $250,001 $2,000,001
3 Clyde Hill, WA 3,118 $250,001 $2,000,001
4 Lake Marcel-Stillwater, WA 1,465 $153,750 $551,900
5 Woodway, WA 1,119 $188,125 $1,235,700
6 Ames Lake, WA 1,264 $146,481 $816,100
7 Canterwood, WA 2,975 $106,750 $667,100
8 Ruston, WA 1,238 $108,269 $603,400
9 River Road, WA 1,056 $128,962 $347,600
10 Monroe North, WA 2,037 $169,375 $624,600
11 Dash Point, WA 1,035 $123,906 $684,400
12 Walla Walla East, WA 2,062 $78,387 $370,400
13 Geneva, WA 2,437 $89,904 $470,600
14 Clearview, WA 3,621 $163,750 $643,500
15 Carnation, WA 2,219 $123,158 $560,500
16 Riverbend, WA 2,377 $105,672 $483,100
17 Chico, WA 3,187 $116,161 $484,500
18 Lake Holm, WA 3,293 $109,421 $531,700
19 Leavenworth, WA 2,395 $60,982 $413,800
20 White Salmon, WA 2,519 $62,953 $380,100
21 Palouse, WA 1,008 $83,750 $207,200
22 Meadowdale, WA 3,065 $125,441 $587,100
23 Esperance, WA 4,422 $109,625 $552,200
24 Kayak Point, WA 1,468 $108,382 $524,800
25 Meadow Glade, WA 2,606 $121,130 $534,600
26 Larch Way, WA 4,030 $112,667 $607,300
27 Maple Heights-Lake Desire, WA 3,370 $119,400 $586,900
28 Fall City, WA 2,187 $128,224 $639,600
29 Lofall, WA 2,066 $103,250 $382,200
30 Sunnyslope, WA 3,505 $107,429 $510,300
31 Fox Island, WA 3,534 $138,175 $774,300
32 High Bridge, WA 2,935 $147,667 $719,100
33 Fife Heights, WA 1,833 $119,483 $441,300
34 Garrett, WA 1,755 $100,021 $329,000
35 Wilderness Rim, WA 2,270 $123,819 $475,500
36 Rosedale, WA 4,421 $135,179 $644,500
37 Browns Point, WA 1,069 $91,406 $633,000
38 Mirrormont, WA 4,196 $149,479 $778,400
39 Cathcart, WA 2,241 $125,174 $595,100
40 Kingston, WA 2,912 $88,568 $413,800
41 Stansberry Lake, WA 2,062 $132,656 $312,400
42 Southworth, WA 2,017 $109,440 $474,200
43 Bunk Foss, WA 3,622 $133,357 $559,300
44 Fobes Hill, WA 2,798 $106,364 $575,400
45 Bryant, WA 2,074 $106,985 $484,500
46 Venersborg, WA 4,011 $113,384 $561,600
47 Medical Lake, WA 4,832 $76,829 $248,900
48 Three Lakes, WA 3,489 $132,250 $571,300
49 Brush Prairie, WA 2,738 $109,118 $412,700
50 Chain Lake, WA 4,923 $133,618 $581,400
51 Stevenson, WA 1,572 $66,250 $383,900
52 Central Park, WA 3,144 $84,726 $262,300
53 Wauna, WA 4,506 $103,906 $372,500
54 Allyn, WA 2,363 $94,952 $423,700
55 Langley, WA 1,194 $67,143 $561,200
56 Duluth, WA 1,273 $63,981 $604,900
57 Shadow Lake, WA 2,200 $113,942 $587,900
58 Summitview, WA 2,009 $74,393 $320,300
59 La Conner, WA 1,061 $53,819 $357,100
60 Rocky Point, WA 1,474 $85,729 $309,100
61 Hansville, WA 3,465 $76,625 $392,600
62 Coupeville, WA 1,937 $64,821 $394,600
63 Mcmillin, WA 1,077 $88,438 $405,700
64 Big Lake, WA 2,279 $107,059 $481,800
65 Friday Harbor, WA 2,587 $57,885 $391,000
66 Burley, WA 2,499 $82,607 $448,200
67 Moxee, WA 4,303 $83,596 $222,200
68 Prairie Heights, WA 4,610 $113,214 $399,800
69 La Center, WA 3,471 $91,375 $399,700
70 Desert Aire, WA 2,819 $74,526 $375,900
71 Key Center, WA 3,408 $94,095 $420,000
72 Vaughn, WA 1,201 $147,539 $359,500
73 Arlington Heights, WA 2,774 $91,190 $487,600
74 Coulee Dam, WA 1,394 $66,083 $164,400
75 Granite Falls, WA 4,447 $75,523 $385,700
76 Cashmere, WA 3,215 $56,063 $284,800
77 Warm Beach, WA 3,313 $106,316 $483,800
78 Davenport, WA 1,785 $65,469 $170,800
79 Sisco Heights, WA 3,257 $123,542 $497,500
80 Asotin, WA 1,072 $59,663 $248,300
81 Montesano, WA 4,070 $58,083 $239,400
82 Kalama, WA 2,888 $87,500 $324,700
83 Lewisville, WA 2,414 $107,417 $562,900
84 Fords Prairie, WA 2,605 $75,913 $262,300
85 Freeland, WA 1,997 $78,872 $404,600
86 Clinton, WA 1,033 $65,714 $570,200
87 Dayton, WA 2,544 $61,671 $178,500
88 Marietta-Alderwood, WA 3,702 $70,288 $367,600
89 Crocker, WA 1,230 $102,831 $325,800
90 Purdy, WA 1,429 $79,310 $242,800
91 Anderson Island, WA 1,564 $85,625 $426,500
92 Navy Yard City, WA 2,784 $65,559 $225,400
93 Lake Ketchum, WA 1,373 $76,328 $432,100
94 Elma, WA 3,390 $69,405 $228,100
95 Machias, WA 1,239 $110,972 $441,800
96 Yacolt, WA 1,482 $78,333 $314,600
97 Home, WA 1,989 $78,871 $332,900
98 Enetai, WA 1,946 $63,889 $346,700
99 Amboy, WA 1,832 $114,432 $463,200
100 Indianola, WA 3,538 $80,469 $375,500
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.

 Best Small Towns, Rankings