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 →

Shoreline$4,690/mo

Typical home $786K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $1,985/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,180 a month, about $14,200 a year, between Bothell and Shoreline.

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 11 of 22 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 CShorelineSafer than 31% of U.S. towns

Schools

A+BothellBetter than 95% of districts in the state A+ShorelineBetter than 95% of districts in the state

Health

A+BothellHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+ShorelineHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns

11Bothell

8Shoreline

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 279 towns #19#156 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 104 towns #47#75 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 284 towns #51#124 SafestSafety · 124 towns #31#61 Cheapest rentCost of living · 274 towns #241#194 Highest graduation rateSchools · 254 towns #13#56 Highest incomeIncome · 284 towns #50#96 Most walkableOutdoors · 284 towns #57#26

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

BothellShoreline

Snow a year4″4″

January low37°F 37°F

July high77°F 77°F

Growing season (days)259d 259d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th 76th

Outdoors & history

BothellShoreline

Trails26 mi 24 mi

Conserved land6%5%

Settled1870 1995

National Register places7 2

Archive photos—2

Famous people born here15 4

Community

BothellShoreline

Library hours a week52 hrs 52 hrs

Colleges in town2 1

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

7 miles apart

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

BothellShoreline

Bothell ↔ Shoreline6.6 miles apart

Who commutes between them

630 Shoreline residents work in Bothell (2.3% of its workers)

Work & commute in Shoreline →

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

BothellShoreline

People

Population 49,610Lowest 61,431Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +43.7%Highest WA: +14.6% +10.6%Lowest WA: +14.6%

Median age 38.6±1Lowest about the WA average 42.9±1.5Highest 12% above WA

Kids under 18 23.5%±1.9Highest WA: 21.4% 18.8%±1.3Lowest WA: 21.4%

Age 65+ 14.7%±1.2Lowest WA: 16.6% 19.7%±1.4Highest WA: 16.6%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 59.8%Highest WA: 39.6% 52.8%Lowest WA: 39.6%

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

Shoreline 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 $112,751±$8kLowest 15% above WA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $925,100±$28kHighest 64% above WA $811,100±$19kLowest 44% above WA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,346±$65Highest 33% above WA $1,985±$75Lowest 13% above WA

Property taxmedian, yearly $7,312Highest 60% above WA $7,083Lowest 55% above WA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.2%±5.3Lowest WA: 49.9% 55.7%±5.5Highest WA: 49.9%

Shoreline and Bothell 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% 8.8%Highest WA: 9.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.5%Lowest WA: 63.8% 66.3%Highest WA: 63.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1992Highest 7 yrs newer than WA 1969Lowest 16 yrs older than WA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 4% above WA 27 minLowest about the WA average

Work from home 32.9%±2.8Highest WA: 19.8% 25.6%±2.4Lowest WA: 19.8%

Work in townworking residents 8.9%Highest 7%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miHighest 9.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.42Highest 0.58Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Seattle (26%)Seattle (47%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Shoreline2% work in Bothell

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6%Highest 5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 25.7 miHighest 24.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miLowest 2.0 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Lowest 32Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 97.0Lowest 113Highest

Schools

School district Northshore School DistrictShoreline School District

High school in town Bothell High SchoolShorecrest High School

Students per teacherat that high school 20.1Lowest 25.5Highest

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.

Shoreline neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Shoreline’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bothell and Shoreline

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

Bordering Bothell

+ Compare

Woodinville13,438 people · $1.1M homes

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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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Kirkland92,621 people · $1.12M homes

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Issaquah39,591 people · $963K homes

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Mill Creek20,956 people · $904K 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 Shoreline

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,180 more a month in Bothell

Bothell places higher on 11 of 22 WA lists

What daily life feels like in each

7 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Bothell and Shoreline

Bordering Bothell

Towns like Bothell

Post to Bothell

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