Seattle makes Washington’s top 10 on 4 lists
Seattle is ranked on 39 lists against the 284 Washington towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 13.
Steadier prices than 100% of Washington
Not better or worse, just Seattle’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Seattle does best on
Each list ranks every WA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Seattle marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for low obesity
Lists where Seattle sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Seattle lands in the top half on 19 of 25 lists
Each dot is Seattle’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WA, the right end is last. Areas where Seattle does best come first.
Seattle out-ranks 7 of its 10 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Seattle lands in every WA ranking
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Sammamish · 100 / 100
#19
Lowest obesity#1 Clyde Hill · 18%
#11
Fewest smokers#1 Clyde Hill · 5%
#15
Most active#1 Snoqualmie · 10%
#8
Fewest uninsured#1 Clyde Hill · 3%
#44
Lowest depression#1 Connell · 20%
#75
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enumclaw · 0.4 mi
#9 People
Most educated#1 Medina · 87.6%
#13
Youngest#1 Mattawa · 21.7
#74
Oldest#1 Port Ludlow · 65.1
#209
Most residents 65+#1 Port Ludlow · 50.3%
#210
Most kids#1 Othello · 40.3%
#273 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Montesano · 77.9%
#84
N
Most trails#1 Newcastle · 6.9 mi / sq mi
#78
Most walkable#1 White Center · 167 / sq mi
#18 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Ocean Shores · 30%
#70
Most new homes#1 Leavenworth · 34.9 per 1,000
#29
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Peaceful Valley · +74.0%
#260
B
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Burien · 20.0 per home
#119 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Port Townsend · 10.6 per resident
#12
Most library borrowing#1 Camas · 21.9 per resident
#5
Best libraries for kids#1 Port Townsend · 42.3 per child
#9 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Fairchild AFB · 9.7 min
#127 
The number on the right is Seattle’s spot. All of Washington’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every WA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.