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.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Vancouver for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Vancouver? Lake Oswego ranks as the best suburb of Vancouver for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Lake Oswego, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Vancouver ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Washington:
The 10 Best Vancouver Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 40,381
Median Income: $141,549
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.4%
More on Lake Oswego: Data | Movers
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 3.41% are out of work. Homes average more than $882,924 each.
/10
Population: 20,307
Median Income: $109,966
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Sherwood: Data | Movers
Sherwood is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Vancouver for 2026.
It ranks 7th for incomes in the area and only 1.31% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 26,935
Median Income: $146,507
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on West Linn: Data | Movers
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.
/10
Population: 27,007
Median Income: $141,126
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Camas: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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.
/10
Population: 56,011
Median Income: $108,823
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 6.7%
More on Tigard: Data | Movers
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.
My hometown I grew up in has changed some. But still a small town feel. Most of the time.
The high school football games. Great way for families and community to come together on a Friday night.
/10
Population: 11,547
Median Income: $102,978
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Oregon: Data | Movers
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.
/10
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.
/10
Population: 3,433
Median Income: $117,639
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on North Plains: Data | Movers
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 1.85% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
/10
Population: 26,738
Median Income: $122,151
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Happy Valley: Data | Movers
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.
/10
Population: 21,886
Median Income: $104,977
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.9%
More on Battle Ground: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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.
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.
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 .
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.
For more Washington reading, check out:
Table: Best Vancouver Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Oswego, WA | 40,381 | $141,549 | $882,924 |
| 2 | Sherwood, WA | 20,307 | $109,966 | $633,004 |
| 3 | West Linn, WA | 26,935 | $146,507 | $777,228 |
| 4 | Camas, WA | 27,007 | $141,126 | $751,542 |
| 5 | Tigard, WA | 56,011 | $108,823 | $608,407 |
| 6 | Oregon, WA | 11,547 | $102,978 | $489,919 |
| 7 | La Center, WA | 3,883 | $101,708 | $660,939 |
| 8 | North Plains, WA | 3,433 | $117,639 | $571,325 |
| 9 | Happy Valley, WA | 26,738 | $122,151 | $681,241 |
| 10 | Battle Ground, WA | 21,886 | $104,977 | $606,387 |
| 11 | Ridgefield, WA | 13,408 | $116,389 | $665,863 |
| 12 | Banks, WA | 2,156 | $86,087 | $636,905 |
| 13 | Sandy, WA | 12,854 | $108,984 | $523,759 |
| 14 | Canby, WA | 18,134 | $100,989 | $590,607 |
| 15 | Beaverton, WA | 97,812 | $98,622 | $530,794 |
| 16 | Milwaukie, WA | 21,392 | $86,892 | $519,433 |
| 17 | Scappoose, WA | 8,179 | $97,708 | $489,282 |
| 18 | Tualatin, WA | 27,763 | $104,043 | $638,736 |
| 19 | Wilsonville, WA | 26,974 | $96,236 | $635,208 |
| 20 | Newberg, WA | 26,066 | $93,232 | $530,484 |
| 21 | Portland, WA | 641,165 | $90,919 | $534,638 |
| 22 | Washougal, WA | 17,490 | $106,368 | $640,871 |
| 23 | Hillsboro, WA | 108,231 | $106,409 | $522,557 |
| 24 | Kalama, WA | 3,050 | $102,026 | $536,797 |
| 25 | Troutdale, WA | 15,923 | $89,337 | $492,004 |
| 26 | Estacada, WA | 5,152 | $94,435 | $540,538 |
| 27 | Forest Grove, WA | 26,529 | $87,933 | $525,622 |
| 28 | St. Helens, WA | 14,258 | $82,865 | $425,039 |
| 29 | Cornelius, WA | 14,255 | $96,273 | $485,774 |
| 30 | Columbia, WA | 10,278 | $54,437 | $290,829 |
| 31 | Gladstone, WA | 11,977 | $91,250 | $517,792 |
| 32 | Woodland, WA | 6,487 | $81,193 | $589,005 |
| 33 | Gresham, WA | 112,378 | $77,795 | $471,181 |
| 34 | Fairview, WA | 10,735 | $70,107 | $479,771 |