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Best Cities for Families in Washington

Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  Washington

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Schools · 25% Safety · 20% Home Affordability · 15% Low Poverty · 10% Jobs · 10% Short Commute · 10% Education · 10%

Top 12 Families Cities in Washington

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 87.8
Palouse, WA
1,131 residents
Schools 6.6
Safety 157/100K
Home Affordability $261,000
#2
Score 85.5
Lake Marcel-Stillwater, WA
1,463 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 13/100K
Home Affordability $690,800
#3
Score 84.5
Snoqualmie, WA
13,750 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 42/100K
Home Affordability $919,300
#4
Score 83.5
Ames Lake, WA
1,138 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 16/100K
Home Affordability $1,069,900
#5
Score 83.4
Pullman, WA
31,939 residents
Schools 6.6
Safety 121/100K
Home Affordability $401,700
#6
Score 83.4
Duvall, WA
8,279 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 61/100K
Home Affordability $758,100
#7
Score 83.4
Colfax, WA
2,785 residents
Schools 6.6
Safety 105/100K
Home Affordability $246,300
#8
Score 83.2
North Bend, WA
7,745 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 68/100K
Home Affordability $933,700
#9
Score 82.3
Mirrormont, WA
4,217 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 52/100K
Home Affordability $950,100
#10
Score 81.6
Fall City, WA
1,743 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 81/100K
Home Affordability $837,100
#11
Score 81.1
Carnation, WA
2,476 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 81/100K
Home Affordability $775,800
#12
Score 80.9
Sultan, WA
5,770 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 152/100K
Home Affordability $455,500

Full Ranking, Washington

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Palouse WA 87.8
2 Lake Marcel-Stillwater WA 85.5
3 Snoqualmie WA 84.5
4 Ames Lake WA 83.5
5 Pullman WA 83.4
6 Duvall WA 83.4
7 Colfax WA 83.4
8 North Bend WA 83.2
9 Mirrormont WA 82.3
10 Fall City WA 81.6
11 Carnation WA 81.1
12 Sultan WA 80.9
13 Kingston WA 80.8
14 Enumclaw WA 80.5
15 Riverbend WA 80.4
16 Point Roberts WA 80.1
17 Wilderness Rim WA 79.9
18 Lofall WA 79.2
19 Lake Forest Park WA 79.1
20 Normandy Park WA 79
21 Monroe North WA 78.7
22 Clearview WA 78.4
23 Carlsborg WA 78.3
24 Issaquah WA 78.2
25 Friday Harbor WA 78.2
26 Medical Lake WA 78.2
27 Liberty Lake WA 77.9
28 Bainbridge Island WA 77.7
29 Woodinville WA 77.7
30 Bothell West WA 77.6
31 East Renton Highlands WA 77.4
32 Redmond WA 77.2
33 Artondale WA 77.2
34 Esperance WA 77.2
35 Wollochet WA 77.1
36 Bothell WA 77.1
37 Maltby WA 77
38 Larch Way WA 77
39 Gig Harbor WA 76.9
40 Mukilteo WA 76.8
41 Cottage Lake WA 76.8
42 Kenmore WA 76.8
43 Brier WA 76.8
44 Sammamish WA 76.7
45 Indianola WA 76.7
46 Union Hill-Novelty Hill WA 76.7
47 Duluth WA 76.7
48 Bothell East WA 76.6
49 Coulee Dam WA 76.6
50 Kirkland WA 76.5

Palouse, WA tops the list with a composite score of 87.8 out of 100, followed by Lake Marcel-Stillwater and Snoqualmie. WA dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for families.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Schools, Safety, Home Affordability, Low Poverty, Jobs, Short Commute, Education. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to families, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Safest Cities → Most Affordable → Most Educated →