Vancouver has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Vancouver without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Vancouver: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$141,549 median income · $882,925 median home price
Lake Oswego is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Vancouver area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Lake Oswego.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $141,549 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Vancouver region. And only 3.4% are out of work. Homes average more than $882,925 each.
$109,966 median income · $633,005 median home price
Sherwood is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Vancouver for 2026.
It ranks 7th for incomes in the area and only 1.3% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
$146,507 median income · $777,229 median home price
Here in West Linn, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Vancouver 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 West Linn.
$141,126 median income · $751,543 median home price
Located in
Clark County, Washington
Camas ranks as the 4th best suburb of Vancouver for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Camas and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,823 median income · $608,407 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Tigard.
Tigard gets kudos for having the 12th most expensive homes in the Vancouver area, where houses sell for an average of $608,407. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$102,978 median income · $489,920 median home price
Oregon 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 2.2%.
According to online reports, Oregon is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Vancouver area, meaning you need to get in soon.
$101,708 median income · $660,939 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to La Center.
La Center 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 16.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,639 median income · $571,325 median home price
North Plains 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 1.8% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
$122,151 median income · $681,241 median home price
Is ‘Everything Better In Happy Valley?’
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.
$104,977 median income · $606,387 median home price
Located in
Clark County, Washington
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Battle Ground.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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%
Washington statewide median: 9.9%
On the map
Where the best Vancouver suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Vancouver for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Vancouver was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- 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
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Vancouver.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 34 suburbs to evaluate around Vancouver.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Vancouver.” We’re lookin’ at you, Lake Oswego.
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 more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Vancouver suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Vancouver Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Oswego | 4.57 | 40,381 | $141,549 | $882,925 |
| 2 | Sherwood | 6.50 | 20,307 | $109,966 | $633,005 |
| 3 | West Linn | 6.57 | 26,935 | $146,507 | $777,229 |
| 4 | Camas | 9.29 | 27,007 | $141,126 | $751,543 |
| 5 | Tigard | 11.71 | 56,011 | $108,823 | $608,407 |
| 6 | Oregon | 12.57 | 11,547 | $102,978 | $489,920 |
| 7 | La Center | 12.71 | 3,883 | $101,708 | $660,939 |
| 8 | North Plains | 13.00 | 3,433 | $117,639 | $571,325 |
| 9 | Happy Valley | 13.43 | 26,738 | $122,151 | $681,241 |
| 10 | Battle Ground | 13.57 | 21,886 | $104,977 | $606,387 |
| 11 | Ridgefield | 14.43 | 13,408 | $116,389 | $665,864 |
| 12 | Banks | 16.71 | 2,156 | $86,087 | $636,905 |
| 13 | Sandy | 16.86 | 12,854 | $108,984 | $523,760 |
| 14 | Canby | 16.93 | 18,134 | $100,989 | $590,607 |
| 15 | Beaverton | 18.29 | 97,812 | $98,622 | $530,795 |
| 16 | Milwaukie | 18.29 | 21,392 | $86,892 | $519,433 |
| 17 | Scappoose | 18.29 | 8,179 | $97,708 | $489,282 |
| 18 | Tualatin | 18.36 | 27,763 | $104,043 | $638,736 |
| 19 | Wilsonville | 18.36 | 26,974 | $96,236 | $635,208 |
| 20 | Newberg | 18.79 | 26,066 | $93,232 | $530,485 |
| 21 | Portland | 19.29 | 641,165 | $90,919 | $534,638 |
| 22 | Washougal | 19.64 | 17,490 | $106,368 | $640,872 |
| 23 | Hillsboro | 19.79 | 108,231 | $106,409 | $522,557 |
| 24 | Kalama | 20.07 | 3,050 | $102,026 | $536,798 |
| 25 | Troutdale | 21.50 | 15,923 | $89,337 | $492,004 |
| 26 | Estacada | 21.57 | 5,152 | $94,435 | $540,538 |
| 27 | Forest Grove | 22.71 | 26,529 | $87,933 | $525,623 |
| 28 | St. Helens | 22.93 | 14,258 | $82,865 | $425,040 |
| 29 | Cornelius | 23.29 | 14,255 | $96,273 | $485,775 |
| 30 | Columbia | 23.43 | 10,278 | $54,437 | $290,830 |
| 31 | Gladstone | 23.79 | 11,977 | $91,250 | $517,793 |
| 32 | Woodland | 24.57 | 6,487 | $81,193 | $589,005 |
| 33 | Gresham | 26.21 | 112,378 | $77,795 | $471,181 |
| 34 | Fairview | 27.00 | 10,735 | $70,107 | $479,771 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 34 suburbs within 30 miles of Vancouver.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Vancouver ‘Burbs of 2026
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.
The best suburbs of Vancouver are Lake Oswego, Sherwood, West Linn, Camas, Tigard, Oregon, La Center, North Plains, Happy Valley, and Battle Ground.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Vancouver but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Washington? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Vancouver FAQs
What is the best suburb of Vancouver?
Lake Oswego is the best suburb of Vancouver for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Sherwood and West Linn are next.
What are the best suburbs of Vancouver?
The best suburbs of Vancouver are Lake Oswego, Sherwood, West Linn, Camas, Tigard, Oregon, La Center, North Plains, Happy Valley, and Battle Ground. We ranked all 34 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Lake Oswego?
The median household income in Lake Oswego is $141,549 and the median home costs $882,925. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Vancouver?
Any place within 30 miles of Vancouver qualifies. 34 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Vancouver suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Lake Oswego, takes the crown.
