Cost of living in Washington

Washington at a glance

Median rent

$1,760

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$98,141

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$564,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$4,556

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

27 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.1%

Census ACS, DP03

Washington's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 7% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Washington

These are the most populous places in Washington, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• King County

  Population

  2.29M

  Rent

  $2,092

  Household income

  $124,746

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $7,114

  Set as targetPlan

• Pierce County

  Population

  930K

  Rent

  $1,806

  Household income

  $99,564

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,770

  Set as targetPlan

• Snohomish County

  Population

  844K

  Rent

  $1,949

  Household income

  $111,246

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $5,364

  Set as targetPlan

Washington, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state. Olympia, first named Smithfield, was selected as the territorial capital in 1853. Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 and its elevation dropped from 9,677 feet to 8,363 feet.

• Mount Rainier National Park

  An active, glacier-covered volcano 14,410 feet high, ringed by wildflower meadows and old forest.

• Olympic National Park

  Glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forest and over 70 miles of wild coastline.

• San Juan Island National Historical Park

  Prairie, woodland and saltwater shore on the island the United States and Great Britain nearly fought over in 1859.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Washington

Current owners in Washington pay a median 0.81% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $4,556 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,744 in Lincoln County to $7,114 in King County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Washington

Life expectancy

78.8 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

7.2%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

15.4%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

79

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Washington as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Washington

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$4.7B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$2.18

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Earthquake

$2.5B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Washington

Side by side

King County, WA is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Washington

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1King County2.29M
2. 2Pierce County930K
3. 3Snohomish County844K
4. 4Spokane County549K
5. 5Clark County517K
6. 6Thurston County299K
7. 7Kitsap County278K
8. 8Yakima County257K
9. 9Whatcom County231K
10. 10Benton County213K

All 39 counties in Washington

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Washington next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Washington beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties