Is being in an area of Washington that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Seattle and Spokane, while others want peace and quiet like in Omak and Connell, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Washington have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Evergreen State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Washington gained a net 9,238 people from other states in the year ending July 2025 — 16th in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
207.2% growth since 2010 · 9,044 net new residents
Located in
Clark County, Washington
Ridgefield is a city in the pastoral, rolling-hills countryside of northern Clark County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 4,763 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
94.3% growth since 2010 · 44,944 net new residents
Located in
King County, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 87,281 at the 2015 census estimate, which made it the sixth largest city in the county and the twelfth largest in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.2% growth since 2010 · 5,426 net new residents
Located in
Spokane County, Washington
Airway Heights is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, just west of Spokane. The population was 6,114 at the 2010 census. The city’s name was taken from its close proximity to the runways at Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
86.3% growth since 2010 · 5,902 net new residents
Located in
Spokane County, Washington
Liberty Lake is an incorporated city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, on the Idaho state line. Liberty Lake is a suburb of Spokane, Washington. Thus, it is situated between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The population was 7,591 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
79.5% growth since 2010 · 4,916 net new residents
Located in
Thurston County, Washington
Yelm is a city in Thurston County, Washington, US. Its population was 6,848 at the 2010 census. It ranked 10th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in Washington for population growth from 2000-2010.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
74.9% growth since 2010 · 5,322 net new residents
Located in
Pierce County, Washington
Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
60.1% growth since 2010 · 10,122 net new residents
Located in
Thurston County, Washington
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
59.8% growth since 2010 · 6,415 net new residents
Located in
Kitsap County, Washington
Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. It is named after Port Orchard, the strait that separates Bainbridge Island from the Kitsap Peninsula.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
59.3% growth since 2010 · 6,549 net new residents
Located in
Benton County, Washington
West Richland is a 22-square-mile city in Benton County, Washington, United States. The population was 11,811 at the 2010 census. The city is generally included in the Tri-Cities along with Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
57.3% growth since 2010 · 18,770 net new residents
Located in
King County, Washington
Burien is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2010 Census, Burien’s population was 33,313, which is a 49.7% increase since incorporation. An annexation in 2010 increased the city’s population to about 50,000.
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.
On the map
Where Washington’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Evergreen State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 122 Washington cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Evergreen State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Washington.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Washington For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ridgefield | 13,408 | 4,364 | 207.2% | 9,044 |
| 2 | Kirkland | 92,621 | 47,677 | 94.3% | 44,944 |
| 3 | Airway Heights | 11,245 | 5,819 | 93.2% | 5,426 |
| 4 | Liberty Lake | 12,737 | 6,835 | 86.3% | 5,902 |
| 5 | Yelm | 11,102 | 6,186 | 79.5% | 4,916 |
| 6 | Gig Harbor | 12,424 | 7,102 | 74.9% | 5,322 |
| 7 | Tumwater | 26,956 | 16,834 | 60.1% | 10,122 |
| 8 | Port Orchard | 17,149 | 10,734 | 59.8% | 6,415 |
| 9 | West Richland | 17,586 | 11,037 | 59.3% | 6,549 |
| 10 | Burien | 51,513 | 32,743 | 57.3% | 18,770 |
| 11 | Sammamish | 66,463 | 43,341 | 53.3% | 23,122 |
| 12 | Snoqualmie | 13,798 | 9,058 | 52.3% | 4,740 |
| 13 | Bothell | 49,610 | 32,658 | 51.9% | 16,952 |
| 14 | Kent | 135,603 | 89,446 | 51.6% | 46,157 |
| 15 | Lake Stevens | 40,253 | 26,902 | 49.6% | 13,351 |
| 16 | Redmond | 77,353 | 52,124 | 48.4% | 25,229 |
| 17 | Camas | 27,007 | 18,348 | 47.2% | 8,659 |
| 18 | Pasco | 79,575 | 54,116 | 47.0% | 25,459 |
| 19 | Black Diamond | 5,961 | 4,073 | 46.4% | 1,888 |
| 20 | Ferndale | 15,999 | 10,993 | 45.5% | 5,006 |
| 21 | Lacey | 57,737 | 40,334 | 43.1% | 17,403 |
| 22 | Orting | 8,978 | 6,276 | 43.1% | 2,702 |
| 23 | Stanwood | 8,373 | 5,876 | 42.5% | 2,497 |
| 24 | Issaquah | 39,591 | 27,838 | 42.2% | 11,753 |
| 25 | Connell | 5,054 | 3,570 | 41.6% | 1,484 |
| 26 | Lynden | 16,234 | 11,580 | 40.2% | 4,654 |
| 27 | North Bend | 7,953 | 5,688 | 39.8% | 2,265 |
| 28 | Edgewood | 13,032 | 9,369 | 39.1% | 3,663 |
| 29 | DuPont | 9,931 | 7,141 | 39.1% | 2,790 |
| 30 | Ocean Shores | 7,302 | 5,260 | 38.8% | 2,042 |
| 31 | Sultan | 6,116 | 4,416 | 38.5% | 1,700 |
| 32 | Poulsbo | 12,165 | 8,795 | 38.3% | 3,370 |
| 33 | Richland | 62,753 | 45,780 | 37.1% | 16,973 |
| 34 | Moses Lake | 26,083 | 19,150 | 36.2% | 6,933 |
| 35 | Duvall | 8,526 | 6,271 | 36.0% | 2,255 |
| 36 | Maple Valley | 28,287 | 20,974 | 34.9% | 7,313 |
| 37 | Bonney Lake | 22,090 | 16,408 | 34.6% | 5,682 |
| 38 | Blaine | 6,100 | 4,550 | 34.1% | 1,550 |
| 39 | Battle Ground | 21,886 | 16,337 | 34.0% | 5,549 |
| 40 | Washougal | 17,490 | 13,223 | 32.3% | 4,267 |
| 41 | Milton | 8,894 | 6,737 | 32.0% | 2,157 |
| 42 | Newcastle | 12,989 | 9,868 | 31.6% | 3,121 |
| 43 | Sequim | 8,161 | 6,273 | 30.1% | 1,888 |
| 44 | Fife | 10,949 | 8,434 | 29.8% | 2,515 |
| 45 | Auburn | 85,676 | 66,985 | 27.9% | 18,691 |
| 46 | Bellevue | 151,847 | 119,454 | 27.1% | 32,393 |
| 47 | Othello | 8,795 | 6,919 | 27.1% | 1,876 |
| 48 | Seattle | 754,195 | 595,240 | 26.7% | 158,955 |
| 49 | Covington | 21,233 | 16,814 | 26.3% | 4,419 |
| 50 | Marysville | 73,002 | 57,855 | 26.2% | 15,147 |
| 51 | Woodinville | 13,438 | 10,651 | 26.2% | 2,787 |
| 52 | Quincy | 7,998 | 6,345 | 26.1% | 1,653 |
| 53 | Arlington | 21,095 | 16,913 | 24.7% | 4,182 |
| 54 | Cheney | 12,804 | 10,283 | 24.5% | 2,521 |
| 55 | Sedro-Woolley | 12,831 | 10,320 | 24.3% | 2,511 |
| 56 | Buckley | 5,371 | 4,362 | 23.1% | 1,009 |
| 57 | Woodland | 6,487 | 5,271 | 23.1% | 1,216 |
| 58 | SeaTac | 32,414 | 26,433 | 22.6% | 5,981 |
| 59 | Burlington | 10,003 | 8,171 | 22.4% | 1,832 |
| 60 | Olympia | 55,951 | 45,708 | 22.4% | 10,243 |
| 61 | Selah | 8,437 | 6,899 | 22.3% | 1,538 |
| 62 | Renton | 105,317 | 86,372 | 21.9% | 18,945 |
| 63 | Vancouver | 195,300 | 160,202 | 21.9% | 35,098 |
| 64 | Kennewick | 85,295 | 70,341 | 21.3% | 14,954 |
| 65 | Spokane Valley | 106,365 | 88,100 | 20.7% | 18,265 |
| 66 | Enumclaw | 12,798 | 10,659 | 20.1% | 2,139 |
| 67 | Mill Creek | 20,956 | 17,485 | 19.9% | 3,471 |
| 68 | Kenmore | 23,741 | 19,947 | 19.0% | 3,794 |
| 69 | Bremerton | 44,830 | 37,689 | 18.9% | 7,141 |
| 70 | Monroe | 19,755 | 16,695 | 18.3% | 3,060 |
| 71 | Bellingham | 93,438 | 78,989 | 18.3% | 14,449 |
| 72 | Ellensburg | 20,874 | 17,847 | 17.0% | 3,027 |
| 73 | Shoreline | 61,431 | 52,529 | 16.9% | 8,902 |
| 74 | Centralia | 18,830 | 16,168 | 16.5% | 2,662 |
| 75 | Puyallup | 42,746 | 36,703 | 16.5% | 6,043 |
| 76 | College Place | 9,854 | 8,502 | 15.9% | 1,352 |
| 77 | Ephrata | 8,560 | 7,407 | 15.6% | 1,153 |
| 78 | Tukwila | 21,451 | 18,567 | 15.5% | 2,884 |
| 79 | Mountlake Terrace | 23,104 | 19,998 | 15.5% | 3,106 |
| 80 | Prosser | 6,305 | 5,471 | 15.2% | 834 |
| 81 | Sumner | 10,733 | 9,325 | 15.1% | 1,408 |
| 82 | Port Townsend | 10,438 | 9,074 | 15.0% | 1,364 |
| 83 | Anacortes | 17,966 | 15,668 | 14.7% | 2,298 |
| 84 | Mount Vernon | 35,377 | 31,044 | 14.0% | 4,333 |
| 85 | Wenatchee | 35,484 | 31,173 | 13.8% | 4,311 |
| 86 | Federal Way | 99,493 | 87,792 | 13.3% | 11,701 |
| 87 | Snohomish | 10,239 | 9,047 | 13.2% | 1,192 |
| 88 | Mercer Island | 25,307 | 22,376 | 13.1% | 2,931 |
| 89 | Lynnwood | 40,110 | 35,529 | 12.9% | 4,581 |
| 90 | Pullman | 32,229 | 28,655 | 12.5% | 3,574 |
| 91 | University Place | 34,911 | 31,082 | 12.3% | 3,829 |
| 92 | Tacoma | 222,758 | 198,819 | 12.0% | 23,939 |
| 93 | Union Gap | 6,584 | 5,893 | 11.7% | 691 |
| 94 | Des Moines | 32,823 | 29,401 | 11.6% | 3,422 |
| 95 | Spokane | 230,293 | 206,541 | 11.5% | 23,752 |
| 96 | Oak Harbor | 24,362 | 22,017 | 10.7% | 2,345 |
| 97 | East Wenatchee | 14,199 | 12,844 | 10.5% | 1,355 |
| 98 | Fircrest | 7,069 | 6,400 | 10.5% | 669 |
| 99 | Everett | 111,845 | 101,667 | 10.0% | 10,178 |
| 100 | Steilacoom | 6,686 | 6,099 | 9.6% | 587 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 122 Washington cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Washington, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Washington are led by Ridgefield which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Washington are Ridgefield, Kirkland, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake, Yelm, Gig Harbor, Tumwater, Port Orchard, West Richland, and Burien.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Washington? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In Washington FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in Washington?
Ridgefield is the fastest-growing city in Washington for 2026, based on population change since 2010. Kirkland and Airway Heights are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Washington?
The fastest-growing cities in Washington are Ridgefield, Kirkland, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake, Yelm, Gig Harbor, Tumwater, Port Orchard, West Richland, and Burien. We ranked all 122 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Toppenish posts the smallest population change of the 122 Washington cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 5,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 122 Washington cities cleared that bar this year.
