Adam McCann, Financial Writer

Oct 3, 2019

It’s home to some of the wettest places in the U.S., but Washington State boasts enough sunny qualities to make it livable for parents and their kids. This Pacific Northwest state simply has everything a family could dream of: a healthy job market paired with big paychecks, high educational attainment, a natural environment that promotes an active lifestyle and more.

To start off the list, Washingtonians earn the 9th highest per-capita personal income in the U.S. As a bonus, they don’t have to pay state individual income tax. Those who aspire to work for some of America’s biggest and most admired employers will also be pleased to know that Amazon, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks are all headquartered here.

Besides being one of the rainiest, Washington’s one of the brainiest, too. And it isn’t nicknamed the “Evergreen State” for no reason. The state’s endless possibilities for outdoor fun, such as abundant forests, a coastline and mountains, complete this family-friendly package.

But certain places in Washington offer more of these positive qualities compared with other cities in the state. For a local breakdown of the best, WalletHub compared 114 of the largest Washington cities based on 21 key indicators of a suitable environment for raising children. Our data set ranges from median family income to school-system quality to housing affordability. Read on for our findings, expert insight and advice on family matters, as well as our full methodology.

Main Findings

Best Places to Raise a Family in Washington State

Overall Rank City Total Score ‘Family Life & Fun’ Rank ‘Education, Health & Safety’ Rank ‘Affordability’ Rank ‘Socioeconomics’ Rank 1 West Richland, WA 73.66 21 24 1 31 2 Snoqualmie, WA 68.52 24 4 4 17 3 Sammamish, WA 65.54 70 3 12 8 4 Bainbridge Island, WA 64.96 82 1 27 30 5 Richland, WA 63.40 35 38 2 75 6 Woodinville, WA 63.30 12 14 34 45 7 Pullman, WA 63.08 20 2 7 88 8 Maple Valley, WA 62.97 76 16 10 9 9 Tumwater, WA 62.87 23 23 9 63 10 Camas, WA 62.68 18 7 16 61 11 Kirkland, WA 62.38 33 6 51 23 12 Bothell East, WA 61.90 29 58 44 1 13 Newcastle, WA 61.47 77 11 19 16 14 Redmond, WA 61.06 27 20 45 34 15 Issaquah, WA 60.94 40 17 40 32 16 Oak Harbor, WA 59.67 4 5 88 65 17 Cottage Lake, WA 59.62 72 87 15 5 18 Fort Lewis, WA 59.18 1 48 113 2 19 Union Hill-Novelty Hill, WA 59.16 56 62 33 6 20 Lake Tapps, WA 58.70 100 64 3 27 21 Lacey, WA 58.67 22 47 28 49 22 Kenmore, WA 58.62 41 33 55 25 23 Bonney Lake, WA 58.60 102 29 8 38 24 Poulsbo, WA 57.77 58 9 68 51 25 Silver Firs, WA 57.69 45 76 58 4 26 Mercer Island, WA 57.60 66 8 70 28 27 Olympia, WA 57.48 3 50 24 86 28 Washougal, WA 57.32 65 18 47 46 29 Bellevue, WA 57.24 16 19 98 53 30 Wenatchee, WA 56.77 25 37 41 73 31 Artondale, WA 56.43 88 94 20 11 32 Mill Creek East, WA 56.30 34 80 52 20 33 Ferndale, WA 56.21 37 35 18 80 34 Edgewood, WA 56.05 112 41 25 7 35 Anacortes, WA 55.98 55 27 65 58 36 Lynden, WA 55.88 90 28 56 24 37 Covington, WA 55.72 107 46 21 19 38 Kennewick, WA 55.54 32 56 5 79 39 Salmon Creek, WA 55.25 44 65 35 44 40 Bothell, WA 55.21 81 22 60 47 41 Silverdale, WA 55.05 68 12 61 33 42 Port Orchard, WA 54.99 10 44 46 89 43 Pasco, WA 54.83 8 52 22 95 44 Battle Ground, WA 54.72 43 31 71 59 45 Spokane Valley, WA 54.56 47 68 6 69 46 Grandview, WA 54.52 6 34 72 92 47 Lake Forest Park, WA 54.47 113 21 57 14 48 Frederickson, WA 54.44 79 92 13 41 49 Fairwood (King County), WA 54.30 62 74 59 12 50 Mukilteo, WA 54.15 97 30 77 21 51 Ellensburg, WA 54.08 19 15 23 108 52 Walla Walla, WA 53.86 7 55 26 101 53 Prairie Ridge, WA 53.61 105 67 17 43 54 South Hill, WA 53.10 92 89 14 29 55 Maltby, WA 52.97 104 83 67 3 56 University Place, WA 51.44 88 25 62 76 57 Mill Creek, WA 51.43 98 40 81 18 58 Mount Vernon, WA 51.29 30 54 49 87 59 Camano, WA 51.20 114 10 42 22 60 Lake Stevens, WA 51.20 84 26 93 48 61 Orchards, WA 51.08 48 97 38 62 62 Minnehaha, WA 50.82 51 106 43 55 63 Shoreline, WA 50.80 74 45 90 35 64 Seattle, WA 50.72 17 85 85 56 65 Monroe, WA 50.57 26 66 95 52 66 Lakeland South, WA 50.37 78 98 48 36 67 Eastmont, WA 50.37 71 111 73 13 68 Moses Lake, WA 49.94 15 79 31 99 69 Five Corners, WA 49.88 38 70 76 66 70 Graham, WA 49.80 103 77 29 54 71 Cheney, WA 49.71 42 36 30 107 72 Arlington, WA 49.63 80 75 63 37 73 Lake Morton-Berrydale, WA 49.58 111 114 32 10 74 Enumclaw, WA 49.36 91 13 79 91 75 Bellingham, WA 49.26 14 71 87 84 76 Puyallup, WA 49.23 52 69 37 82 77 Edmonds, WA 49.22 108 42 103 26 78 Bothell West, WA 49.06 67 110 80 15 79 Sunnyside, WA 48.52 2 51 86 112 80 Spokane, WA 48.47 13 107 11 97 81 East Wenatchee, WA 48.00 46 32 91 102 82 Vancouver, WA 47.84 28 61 99 81 83 East Renton Highlands, WA 47.53 101 100 69 40 84 Lakeland North, WA 47.48 109 100 54 42 85 Mountlake Terrace, WA 47.16 49 43 107 64 86 Bremerton, WA 46.86 39 53 83 94 87 Renton, WA 46.69 73 57 101 57 88 Marysville, WA 46.56 96 73 78 50 89 Aberdeen, WA 46.23 36 60 36 110 90 Elk Plain, WA 45.55 110 89 39 72 91 Longview, WA 45.28 64 39 82 106 92 Yakima, WA 45.24 5 108 74 98 93 Auburn, WA 45.07 87 88 66 67 94 Martha Lake, WA 45.05 69 91 104 39 95 Sedro-Woolley, WA 44.87 53 59 50 104 96 Des Moines, WA 44.77 106 63 96 60 97 Kelso, WA 44.21 31 49 89 109 98 Tacoma, WA 44.16 11 112 64 100 99 Port Angeles, WA 43.64 9 95 92 105 100 Spanaway, WA 42.59 94 105 53 85 101 Hazel Dell, WA 42.48 50 86 100 83 102 Federal Way, WA 42.42 99 82 97 68 103 Kent, WA 41.26 93 93 94 74 104 Parkland, WA 38.60 86 81 84 103 105 North Lynnwood, WA 38.18 61 78 110 77 106 Burien, WA 38.09 85 102 106 71 107 Lynnwood, WA 37.76 57 99 112 70 108 Centralia, WA 37.57 59 96 75 111 109 SeaTac, WA 37.56 63 103 108 78 110 Everett, WA 37.27 60 84 111 90 111 Lakewood, WA 35.38 95 109 102 96 112 Bryn Mawr-Skyway, WA 35.27 83 104 105 93 113 Tukwila, WA 27.57 54 113 109 113 114 White Center, WA 23.77 75 72 114 114

Ask The Experts

Families share a number of common priorities when choosing a new place to call home. With that in mind, we asked a panel of experts in fields such as family studies and public health to share their insight regarding the process of evaluating prospective Washington cities on a family’s shortlist. Click on the experts’ profiles below to read their bios and their thoughts on the following key questions:

What are some tips for young families looking for quality public schools and affordable housing in Washington? How can local officials in Washington make their cities more attractive to young families? Looking just within Washington, to what degree is child development and a family’s quality of life influenced by the city in which they live?

Methodology

To help families find the best Washington cities in which to settle down, WalletHub compared 114 cities in the state across four key dimensions: 1) Family Life & Fun, 2) Education, Health & Safety, 3) Affordability and 4) Socioeconomics. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

We evaluated the four dimensions using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most suitable conditions for family life.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Family Life & Fun – Total Points: 25

Playgrounds per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Note: “Attractions” includes, for instance, museums, theaters and zoos.

Share of Families with Children Aged 0 to 17 Years: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)

Weather: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Note: Based on WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.

Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Education, Health & Safety – Total Points: 25

Quality of School System: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)

High School Graduation Rate: Half Weight (~1.47 Points)

Air Quality: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)

Pediatricians per Capita: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)

Share of Uninsured Children: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)

Note: This metric refers to the share of children aged 0 to 18 years lacking health insurance coverage.

Violent-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)

Property-Crime Rate per Capita: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 25

Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)

Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Housing Costs (accounts for both rental and sale prices) / Median Annual Family Income.

General Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)

Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Median Annual Family Income / Cost-of-Living Index.

Socioeconomics – Total Points: 25

Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Share of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Share of Families Living in Poverty: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Share of Households Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Environmental Protection Agency, County Health Rankings, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Renwood RealtyTrac, SchoolDigger.com, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Areavibes and WalletHub research.

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