Best places to live in Washington (2026)

All 28 ranked places in Washington, by all-round score. 4 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Sammamish, WASuburb · 3-bed $1.16M · very safe76
2. 2Bothell, WASuburb · 3-bed $834k · very safe75
3. 3Redmond, WASuburb · 3-bed $1.15M · very safe74
4. 4Shoreline, WASuburb · 3-bed $747k · very safe74
5. 5Edmonds, WASuburb · 3-bed $841k · very safe71
6. 6Bellevue, WASuburb · 3-bed $1.23M · very safe70
7. 7Burien, WASuburb · 3-bed $613k · safe70
8. 8Renton, WASuburb · 3-bed $669k · safe70
9. 9Federal Way, WASuburb · 3-bed $552k · safe68
10. 10Lynnwood, WASuburb · 3-bed $701k · safe66
11. 11Bremerton, WASuburb · 3-bed $483k · safe66
12. 12Kent, WASuburb · 3-bed $588k · moderate crime65
13. 13Seattle, WABig city · 3-bed $869k · moderate crime64
14. 14Puyallup, WASuburb · 3-bed $526k · safe64
15. 15Tacoma, WAMid-size city · 3-bed $483k · higher crime62
16. 16Lacey, WASmall city · 3-bed $479k · safe61
17. 17Spokane Valley, WASuburb · 3-bed $408k · safe60
18. 18Vancouver, WASuburb · 3-bed $473k · moderate crime60
19. 19Everett, WASuburb · 3-bed $628k · safe59
20. 20Marysville, WASmall city · 3-bed $586k · very safe58
21. 21Lakewood, WASuburb · 3-bed $491k · higher crime56
22. 22Olympia, WASmall city · 3-bed $520k · moderate crime56
23. 23Bellingham, WASmall city · 3-bed $674k · safe55
24. 24Richland, WASmall city · 3-bed $419k · very safe54
25. 25Spokane, WAMid-size city · 3-bed $394k · higher crime52
26. 26Kennewick, WASmall city · 3-bed $394k · safe51
27. 27Walla Walla, WASmall town · 3-bed $431k · safe43
28. 28Yakima, WASmall city · 3-bed $376k · moderate crime42

Cheapest places to live in Washington

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Yakima, WASmall city · rent $1,910/mo · cost of living 96$376k
2. 2Spokane, WAMid-size city · rent $2,090/mo · cost of living 100$394k
3. 3Kennewick, WASmall city · rent $2,070/mo · cost of living 100$394k
4. 4Pasco, WASmall city · rent $2,070/mo · cost of living 100$395k
5. 5Spokane Valley, WASuburb · rent $2,090/mo · cost of living 100$408k

Safest places to live in Washington

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Sammamish, WASuburb · violent crime 0.09× the US rate34 per 100k
2. 2Bothell, WASuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate63 per 100k
3. 3Redmond, WASuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate102 per 100k
4. 4Bellevue, WASuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate123 per 100k
5. 5Shoreline, WASuburb · violent crime 0.4× the US rate166 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Washington

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Spokane, WA5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves89
2. 2Spokane Valley, WA5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, cold waves89
3. 3Richland, WA4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, earthquakes83
4. 4Yakima, WA6 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, earthquakes83
5. 5Walla Walla, WA4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding82

Best places to live for families in Washington

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Sammamish, WASuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $1.16M74
2. 2Bothell, WASuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $834k71
3. 3Redmond, WASuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $1.15M69
4. 4Shoreline, WASuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $747k68
5. 5Bellevue, WASuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $1.23M64

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.