A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Bothell$5,870/mo

Typical home $995K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $2,346/mo · Housing →

Mill Creek$5,500/mo

Typical home $933K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $2,249/mo · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Bothell and Mill Creek.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Bothell places higher on 13 of 21 WA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Washington ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

BBothellSafer than 55% of U.S. towns –Mill CreekNot graded

Schools

A+BothellBetter than 95% of districts in the state AMill CreekBetter than 87% of districts in the state

Health

A+BothellHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+Mill CreekHealthier than 95% of U.S. towns

13Bothell

6Mill Creek

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 154 towns #35#146 Fastest growingGrowth · 279 towns #19#113 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 284 towns #51#144 Shortest commuteGetting around · 284 towns #151#233 Highest graduation rateSchools · 254 towns #13#81 Most conserved landOutdoors · 275 towns #88#149 Lowest obesityHealth · 284 towns #19#58 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 104 towns #47#33

Left end = #1 in Washington. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Bothell’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

BothellMill Creek

Snow a year4″3″

January low37°F 32°F

July high77°F 74°F

Growing season (days)259d 188d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th 51st

Outdoors & history

BothellMill Creek

Trails26 mi 10 mi

Conserved land6%3.4%

Settled1870 1983

National Register places7 —

Famous people born here15 —

Community

BothellMill Creek

Library hours a week52 hrs 60 hrs

Colleges in town2 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

6 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BothellMill Creek

Bothell ↔ Mill Creek6.2 miles apart

Who commutes between them

469 Mill Creek residents work in Bothell (5% of its workers)

Work & commute in Mill Creek →

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Washington average

BothellMill Creek

People

Population 49,610Highest 20,956Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +43.7%Highest WA: +14.6% +14.7%Lowest WA: +14.6%

Median age 38.6±1Lowest about the WA average 39.3±1.1Highest about the WA average

Mill Creek and Bothell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 23.5%±1.9Highest WA: 21.4% 21.2%±2.6Lowest WA: 21.4%

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.7%±1.2Lowest WA: 16.6% 15%±2Highest WA: 16.6%

Mill Creek and Bothell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 59.8%Highest WA: 39.6% 56%Lowest WA: 39.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.7Lowest WA: 5.7% 5.7%±1.9Highest WA: 5.7%

Mill Creek and Bothell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $140,427±$8kHighest 43% above WA $124,364±$11kLowest 27% above WA

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $925,100±$28kHighest 64% above WA $903,800±$24kLowest 60% above WA

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,346±$65Highest 33% above WA $2,249±$88Lowest 28% above WA

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $7,312Highest 60% above WA $7,026Lowest 54% above WA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.2%±5.3Highest WA: 49.9% 48%±10.4Lowest WA: 49.9%

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 4.8%Lowest WA: 9.9% 6.4%Highest WA: 9.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.5%Highest WA: 63.8% 59%Lowest WA: 63.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1992Lowest 7 yrs newer than WA 1995Highest 10 yrs newer than WA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 4% above WA 33 minHighest 24% above WA

Work from home 32.9%±2.8Highest WA: 19.8% 29.9%±3.5Lowest WA: 19.8%

Bothell and Mill Creek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 8.9%Highest 3.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 15.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.42Highest 0.67Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Seattle (26%)Seattle (25%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Mill Creek5% work in Bothell

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6%Highest 3.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 25.7 miHighest 9.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miLowest 2.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 14Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 97.0Lowest 107Highest

Schools

School district Northshore School DistrictEverett School District

High school in town Bothell High SchoolHenry M. Jackson High School

Students per teacherat that high school 20.1Lowest 23.9Highest

Washington average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bothell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bothell’s Town Square.

Mill Creek neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mill Creek’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bothell and Mill Creek

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Bothell

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Woodinville13,438 people · $1.1M homes

+ Compare

Bothell West22,029 people · $825K homes

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Bothell East14,578 people · $1.13M homes

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Kenmore23,741 people · $921K homes

Towns like Bothell

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Shoreline61,431 people · $811K homes

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Kirkland92,621 people · $1.12M homes

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Issaquah39,591 people · $963K homes

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Mukilteo21,323 people · $885K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Bothell vs Mill Creek

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $370 more a month in Bothell

Bothell places higher on 13 of 21 WA lists

What daily life feels like in each

6 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Bothell and Mill Creek

Bordering Bothell

Towns like Bothell

Post to Bothell

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