Best places to live in Washington

The 32 Washington cities and towns of 20,000+ where people are moving in, ranked on growth, commute times and cost, using Census data. Looking for the lowest prices instead? See the cheapest places to live in Washington.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

Mountlake Terrace#1 pickScore 74 of 100
Mountlake TerraceFastest growing+19.4% since 2020
PullmanShortest commute14.6 min average

The top 3 in Washington

#1Score 74
Mountlake Terrace
Growth
+19.4%
Home value
$667,300
Commute
28 min
#2Score 67
Battle Ground
Growth
+13.2%
Home value
$485,100
Commute
27 min
#3Score 63
Richland
Growth
+7.7%
Home value
$436,700
Commute
20 min

The 10 best places to live in Washington

Score out of 100. Values and rents are Census medians for each city or town.

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	Mountlake Terrace	74	$667,300	$2,004	27.9 min	+19.4%
2	Battle Ground	67	$485,100	$1,576	27.2 min	+13.2%
3	Richland	63	$436,700	$1,468	20.4 min	+7.7%
4	SeaTac	60	$519,700	$1,660	25.4 min	+10.0%
5	Pullman	60	$424,800	$1,062	14.6 min	+2.6%
6	Tumwater	59	$472,200	$1,779	21.3 min	+7.6%
7	Shoreline	58	$811,100	$1,985	27.2 min	+13.8%
8	Bellingham	55	$627,500	$1,577	18.1 min	+5.4%
9	Arlington	54	$538,800	$1,905	29.9 min	+10.6%
10	Vancouver	50	$462,400	$1,702	23.2 min	+4.6%

Every Washington city and town we ranked

See all 32, with scores

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020	Population 2025
1	Mountlake Terrace	74	$667,300	$2,004	27.9 min	+19.4%	25,430
2	Battle Ground	67	$485,100	$1,576	27.2 min	+13.2%	23,513
3	Richland	63	$436,700	$1,468	20.4 min	+7.7%	65,258
4	SeaTac	60	$519,700	$1,660	25.4 min	+10.0%	34,578
5	Pullman	60	$424,800	$1,062	14.6 min	+2.6%	33,756
6	Tumwater	59	$472,200	$1,779	21.3 min	+7.6%	28,010
7	Shoreline	58	$811,100	$1,985	27.2 min	+13.8%	66,542
8	Bellingham	55	$627,500	$1,577	18.1 min	+5.4%	96,395
9	Arlington	54	$538,800	$1,905	29.9 min	+10.6%	22,031
10	Vancouver	50	$462,400	$1,702	23.2 min	+4.6%	199,698
11	Redmond	50	$1,167,800	$2,409	22.1 min	+12.6%	82,506
12	Bremerton	50	$439,400	$1,641	25.3 min	+4.8%	45,482
13	Marysville	49	$567,900	$1,997	31.5 min	+9.9%	77,686
14	Olympia	49	$486,200	$1,599	20.0 min	+2.4%	56,724
15	Lynnwood	49	$686,900	$1,742	29.9 min	+9.2%	42,132
16	Lacey	47	$457,100	$1,870	25.4 min	+4.4%	58,833
17	Tacoma	44	$479,600	$1,676	28.8 min	+4.6%	229,816
18	Camas	44	$711,700	$2,090	24.6 min	+6.0%	27,749
19	Everett	40	$565,300	$1,740	26.9 min	+2.8%	113,567
20	Bothell	40	$925,100	$2,346	27.7 min	+8.4%	52,199
21	Seattle	39	$938,600	$2,030	26.0 min	+6.5%	784,777
22	Tukwila	39	$489,000	$1,898	24.6 min	+1.0%	22,003
23	Lake Stevens	38	$635,600	$2,224	35.2 min	+8.2%	42,091
24	University Place	34	$624,800	$1,762	28.0 min	+1.7%	35,479
25	Kirkland	33	$1,115,400	$2,401	23.9 min	+5.7%	97,410
26	Covington	29	$637,300	$2,232	33.4 min	+3.5%	21,496
27	Des Moines	28	$597,000	$1,799	30.8 min	+0.3%	33,032
28	Bonney Lake	28	$607,900	$2,256	32.1 min	+2.2%	22,139
29	Monroe	27	$668,400	$1,950	31.3 min	+1.0%	20,025
30	Kenmore	25	$920,800	$1,949	28.8 min	+1.4%	24,249
31	Bellevue	18	$1,340,300	$2,572	23.6 min	+1.5%	154,193
32	Maple Valley	18	$724,700	$2,304	37.0 min	+1.5%	28,482

How we ranked them

This list is about where people are moving. Each growing place is scored against the others in the state on four Census measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($423,975 in Washington). Of 59 places, 19 lost population and 8 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in Washington page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.

Weight	Measure
45%	Population growth, 2020 to 2025
25%	Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work)
20%	Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes)
10%	Lower rent (median gross rent)

Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.

Statewide, Washington has no income tax on wages, an effective property tax rate of 0.81% and a combined sales tax of 9.51%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.

Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks cities on your own priorities.

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Washington?

On our ranking of the 32 growing Washington cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Mountlake Terrace, followed by Battle Ground and Richland. Mountlake Terrace has a median home value of $667,300, median rent of $2,004, an average commute of 27.9 min and grew +19.4% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).

What is the fastest-growing city in Washington?

Of the places we rank, Mountlake Terrace, up +19.4% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).

Where in Washington are commutes shortest?

Pullman, where the average trip to work takes 14.6 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Why isn't the cheapest town in Washington on this list?

This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in Washington page.

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