You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Washington. Best suburbs 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.
$250,001 median income · 4.7% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · 2.2% unemployment
$204,583 median income · 0.7% unemployment
$250,001 median income · 2.8% unemployment
$149,870 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$250,001 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$173,902 median income · 3.9% unemployment
$140,500 median income · 0.9% unemployment
$160,040 median income · 0.4% unemployment
$152,763 median income · 2.5% 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 small towns are
Saturday Night Science
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 2020-2024 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 – 194 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 194, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Washington. Top of that list — Clyde Hill.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Washington.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Washington
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clyde Hill | 3,119 | $250,001 | $4,133,450 | 4.7% |
| 2 | Yarrow Point | 1,198 | $250,001 | $4,287,551 | 2.2% |
| 3 | Woodway | 1,251 | $204,583 | $2,370,725 | 0.7% |
| 4 | Medina | 2,928 | $250,001 | $4,512,514 | 2.8% |
| 5 | Wilderness Rim | 1,560 | $149,870 | $725,243 | 1.2% |
| 6 | Ames Lake | 1,245 | $250,001 | $1,304,012 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Meadowdale | 3,009 | $173,902 | $907,379 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Chico | 3,336 | $140,500 | $715,982 | 0.9% |
| 9 | Larch Way | 4,424 | $160,040 | $896,947 | 0.4% |
| 10 | Carnation | 2,366 | $152,763 | $1,029,776 | 2.5% |
| 11 | Sunnyslope | 3,706 | $135,769 | $760,265 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Clearview | 3,254 | $192,540 | $949,533 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Fall City | 1,618 | $177,019 | $1,201,410 | 3.9% |
| 14 | Fox Island | 3,414 | $172,292 | $1,064,153 | 2.4% |
| 15 | Cavalero | 1,591 | $148,462 | $698,312 | 0.0% |
| 16 | Rosedale | 4,208 | $158,800 | $944,850 | 6.5% |
| 17 | Fife Heights | 1,446 | $157,292 | $758,349 | 4.5% |
| 18 | Geneva | 2,073 | $142,188 | $852,770 | 12.1% |
| 19 | Lake Marcel-Stillwater | 1,549 | $201,845 | $902,163 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Monroe North | 1,456 | $169,844 | $753,133 | 3.7% |
| 21 | Riverbend | 1,748 | $148,269 | $863,415 | 2.7% |
| 22 | Mirrormont | 4,019 | $181,842 | $1,036,716 | 2.1% |
| 23 | Walla Walla East | 2,099 | $89,951 | $647,109 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Canterwood | 2,971 | $159,808 | $949,959 | 8.2% |
| 25 | Lofall | 1,800 | $113,750 | $562,375 | 5.3% |
| 26 | Cathcart | 2,064 | $130,400 | $967,523 | 1.1% |
| 27 | Lake Holm | 3,555 | $177,371 | $882,044 | 3.0% |
| 28 | Maple Heights-Lake Desire | 4,113 | $143,148 | $932,714 | 1.3% |
| 29 | McMillin | 1,348 | $140,556 | $650,835 | 4.0% |
| 30 | Fern Prairie | 2,053 | $115,875 | $668,718 | 3.4% |
| 31 | Moxee | 4,625 | $100,512 | $398,716 | 0.8% |
| 32 | Meadow Glade | 2,281 | $129,427 | $692,244 | 0.9% |
| 33 | Big Lake | 2,326 | $109,286 | $709,382 | 0.0% |
| 34 | Coupeville | 1,980 | $81,625 | $634,169 | 1.9% |
| 35 | Esperance | 4,189 | $148,640 | $841,700 | 3.2% |
| 36 | White Salmon | 2,548 | $72,923 | $688,442 | 1.8% |
| 37 | Leavenworth | 2,569 | $69,943 | $659,000 | 0.7% |
| 38 | Southworth | 2,286 | $123,281 | $689,050 | 3.1% |
| 39 | Marrowstone | 1,164 | $110,368 | $804,761 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Medical Lake | 4,950 | $79,989 | $426,995 | 1.2% |
| 41 | High Bridge | 3,196 | $167,337 | $1,025,858 | 2.9% |
| 42 | Bunk Foss | 3,627 | $155,201 | $884,599 | 6.0% |
| 43 | Duluth | 1,656 | $92,034 | $780,917 | 0.0% |
| 44 | West Pasco | 1,122 | $120,341 | $500,421 | 5.3% |
| 45 | Palouse | 1,147 | $88,750 | $345,491 | 0.5% |
| 46 | La Center | 3,883 | $101,708 | $660,939 | 3.6% |
| 47 | Friday Harbor | 2,728 | $80,378 | $859,471 | 2.7% |
| 48 | Brush Prairie | 2,526 | $122,827 | $859,950 | 4.8% |
| 49 | Chain Lake | 4,950 | $161,286 | $929,308 | 4.2% |
| 50 | Bell Hill | 1,041 | $79,084 | $901,950 | 6.5% |
| 51 | Three Lakes | 4,055 | $172,879 | $897,160 | 1.5% |
| 52 | Bryant | 2,648 | $121,669 | $708,424 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Burley | 2,443 | $118,047 | $721,837 | 2.7% |
| 54 | Fobes Hill | 2,569 | $133,553 | $881,299 | 5.7% |
| 55 | Enetai | 2,387 | $87,870 | $483,283 | 8.5% |
| 56 | Granite Falls | 4,659 | $105,136 | $585,734 | 2.4% |
| 57 | Langley | 1,044 | $77,072 | $767,468 | 4.2% |
| 58 | Marietta-Alderwood | 3,754 | $76,019 | $582,388 | 2.6% |
| 59 | Kayak Point | 1,883 | $119,352 | $757,072 | 5.0% |
| 60 | Garrett | 1,697 | $118,609 | $395,994 | 5.9% |
| 61 | Eatonville | 2,850 | $114,688 | $595,999 | 3.2% |
| 62 | Stansberry Lake | 1,807 | $90,917 | $425,055 | 4.9% |
| 63 | Allyn | 2,404 | $97,716 | $538,139 | 6.6% |
| 64 | Town and Country | 4,890 | $92,652 | $379,813 | 5.9% |
| 65 | Lake Ketchum | 1,235 | $136,211 | $578,023 | 0.0% |
| 66 | Central Park | 3,206 | $99,127 | $357,140 | 2.8% |
| 67 | Cashmere | 3,304 | $64,053 | $538,966 | 0.4% |
| 68 | Lake Cassidy | 3,292 | $113,403 | $750,472 | 1.6% |
| 69 | Stevenson | 1,603 | $76,563 | $548,794 | 5.0% |
| 70 | Rocky Point | 1,716 | $85,521 | $569,081 | 4.7% |
| 71 | Everson | 3,040 | $80,250 | $491,742 | 2.0% |
| 72 | Wauna | 4,805 | $103,250 | $535,763 | 3.7% |
| 73 | Prairie Heights | 4,998 | $130,640 | $532,463 | 4.6% |
| 74 | Machias | 1,276 | $151,875 | $760,159 | 5.7% |
| 75 | Sisco Heights | 3,015 | $119,158 | $782,407 | 2.5% |
| 76 | Warm Beach | 3,442 | $99,940 | $714,385 | 2.9% |
| 77 | Purdy | 1,344 | $91,204 | $381,729 | 10.9% |
| 78 | Ilwaco | 1,365 | $98,200 | $394,492 | 0.0% |
| 79 | Summitview | 2,321 | $105,184 | $436,019 | 2.7% |
| 80 | Millwood | 1,890 | $83,068 | $363,295 | 0.7% |
| 81 | Kingston | 2,496 | $90,625 | $664,135 | 2.2% |
| 82 | North Puyallup | 1,653 | $83,489 | $403,658 | 0.0% |
| 83 | Port Ludlow | 2,891 | $96,103 | $646,836 | 6.4% |
| 84 | Venersborg | 4,262 | $118,344 | $749,301 | 7.9% |
| 85 | Shadow Lake | 2,465 | $152,552 | $868,951 | 3.6% |
| 86 | Chelan | 4,350 | $82,637 | $493,386 | 1.6% |
| 87 | Kalama | 3,050 | $102,026 | $536,798 | 1.3% |
| 88 | Anderson Island | 1,448 | $80,282 | $581,536 | 0.0% |
| 89 | Lewisville | 2,465 | $125,647 | $705,337 | 3.8% |
| 90 | Asotin | 1,021 | $77,083 | $376,013 | 3.8% |
| 91 | Manson | 1,462 | $91,319 | $734,481 | 5.1% |
| 92 | Yacolt | 1,684 | $84,740 | $629,967 | 1.7% |
| 93 | Hansville | 3,384 | $92,426 | $706,812 | 7.8% |
| 94 | Fairchild AFB | 2,931 | $69,917 | $0 | 11.0% |
| 95 | Navy Yard City | 2,672 | $69,852 | $364,697 | 0.7% |
| 96 | Sunday Lake | 1,375 | $91,500 | $742,062 | 10.0% |
| 97 | Indianola | 3,468 | $98,684 | $683,924 | 5.0% |
| 98 | Port Angeles East | 3,137 | $68,241 | $370,020 | 3.2% |
| 99 | McChord AFB | 2,999 | $54,808 | $0 | 0.0% |
| 100 | Cosmopolis | 2,202 | $84,853 | $323,796 | 5.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 194 Washington towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
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 small towns in Washington are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Washington are Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point, Woodway, Medina, Wilderness Rim, Ames Lake, Meadowdale, Chico, Larch Way, and Carnation.
