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GreatPlacesToRetire |
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Compare city quality of life facts and figures for some of the best places to retire in Washington.
Compare home prices, cost of living, air quality, medical care, water quality, demographics and more. Use the drop down box to make another state comparison.
| Washington Cities | ||||||
| blank | Bellingham | Olympia | Vancouver | Port Townsend | Wenatchee | 99-City Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Type | ||||||
| City Type | West Coast, Mountains, National Parks | Lakes & Rivers, Mountains, College Town, State Capital | Mountains, Lakes & Rivers | West Coast, Mountains, National Parks | Lakes & Rivers, Mountains, Wine Country | na |
| Population (2016 est.) | ||||||
| Population (Current) | 87,574 | 51,202 | 174,826 | 9,527 | 33,921 | 78,040 |
| Population (1990) | 52,179 | 33,840 | 46,380 | 7,001 | 21,756 | 49,272 |
| Land Area (sq mi) | 27 | 18 | 46 | 7 | 8 | 36 |
| Persons Per Square Mile | 3,243 | 2,845 | 3,801 | 1,361 | 4,240 | 2,151 |
| Home Prices | ||||||
| 2018 | $413,253 | $331,015 | $348,547 | $352,067 | $314,861 | $419,000 |
| Total Appreciation ('01 to '18) | 165.1% | 109.5% | 94.5% | 9.8% | 100.4% | 76.0% |
| Annual Appreciation ('17 to '18) | 13.7% | 15.8% | 5.7% | 10.0% | 7.1% | 6.0% |
| Avg Annual Appreciation ('01 to '18) | 6.3% | 4.8% | 4.3% | 0.8% | 5.5% | 3.8% |
| Big City Prices ('18) | $503,000 | $503,000 | $399,000 | $503,000 | $233,000 | $340,000 |
| Bargain Index | 66% | 53% | 71% | 57% | 109% | 101% |
| Big City | Seattle | Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Yakima | na |
| Monthly Rent | $1,495 | $1,629 | $1,935 | $1,353 | $1,258 | $1,495 |
| Price/Rent Index | 18.6 | 13.6 | 12.1 | 17.5 | 16.8 | 19.0 |
| Cost of Living (2018) | ||||||
| Cost of Living | 109% | 104% | 112% | 100% | 94% | 109% |
| Air Quality - Annual Avg (2001-2017) | ||||||
| Good Days | 313 | 302 | 257 | 295 | 227 | 72% |
| Moderate Days | 30 | 58 | 97 | 23 | 67 | 25% |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days | 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3% |
| Unhealthy Days | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Very Unhealthy Days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Water Quality (2002-2014) | ||||||
| Good | na | na | 37% | na | na | 36% |
| Threatened | na | na | 0% | na | na | 2% |
| Impaired | na | na | 63% | na | na | 62% |
| Walkability | ||||||
| Walk Score® | 49 | 38 | 41 | 80 | 48 | 45 |
| Nearest Large City | ||||||
| Distance to Nearest City | 51 miles | 60 miles | 9 miles | 55 miles | 148 miles | 72 miles |
| City | Vancouver, Canada | Seattle | Portland | Seattle | Seattle | na |
| Recreation | ||||||
| National Parks | 8 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| National Campgrounds | 30 | 29 | 52 | 41 | 59 | 26 |
| State Parks | 7 | 9 | 25 | 18 | 9 | 11 |
| Medical Care (2016) | ||||||
| Accredited Hospitals | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Building Permits (single family homes) | ||||||
| 2016 | 195 | 185 | 319 | 85 | 70 | 346 |
| 2015 | 140 | 124 | 366 | 33 | 70 | 324 |
| Gain ('15 to '16) | 39% | 49% | -13% | 158% | 0% | 6% |
| blank | Bellingham | Olympia | Vancouver | Port Townsend | Wenatchee | 99-City Avg |
| blank | Bellingham | Olympia | Vancouver | Port Townsend | Wenatchee | 99-City Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population Distribution (2010) | ||||||
| Median Age (yrs) | 31 | 38 | 36 | 53 | 35 | 37 |
| White | 84.9% | 83.7% | 80.9% | 92.4% | 76.7% | 80.7% |
| Black or African American | 1.3% | 2.0% | 2.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 7.2% |
| Native American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 5.1% | 6.0% | 5.0% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 3.6% |
| Native Hawaiian | 0.3% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other Race | 2.8% | 1.8% | 4.3% | 0.8% | 17.3% | 4.4% |
| Multiple Races | 4.3% | 5.0% | 4.8% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.0% | 6.3% | 10.4% | 3.3% | 29.4% | 11.6% |
| Income and Housing (2010) | ||||||
| Family Income | $58,149 | $71,029 | $56,658 | $63,765 | $54,976 | $69,596 |
| Occupied Housing | 94% | 94% | 94% | 88% | 94% | 83% |
| Vacant Housing | 6% | 6% | 6% | 12% | 6% | 17% |
| Home Ownership | 46% | 50% | 51% | 62% | 55% | 55% |
| Persons Per Family | 2.80 | 2.80 | 3.00 | 2.60 | 3.20 | 2.90 |
| Taxes (2018) | ||||||
| Local and State | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| Local, State and Federal | 109 days | 109 days | 109 days | 109 days | 109 days | 113 days |
| Climate - Average Temperatures (1971-2000) | ||||||
| Climate Type | Temperate & Humid | Temperate & Humid | Temperate & Humid | Temperate & Dry | Cool & Dry | Temperate & Humid |
| January Low Temp | 35 F | 32 F | 32 F | 38 F | 23 F | 27 F |
| July High Temp | 73 F | 76 F | 77 F | 70 F | 88 F | 86 F |
| Annual Precipitation | 35 in | 51 in | 42 in | 19 in | 9 in | 35 in |
| Elevation | 15 ft | 206 ft | 210 ft | 100 ft | 640 ft | 1,652 ft |
| Natural Hazard Risk | ||||||
| Total Hazard Risk | Higher | Higher | Higher | Higher | Higher | Moderate |
| Earthquake | 30% | 50% | 15% | 45% | 10% | 10.9% |
| Tsunami | No Risk | No Risk | Risk | Risk | No Risk | No Risk |
| Hurricane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Flood | Very High | Very High | Very High | Very High | Low | Very High |
| Tornado | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Low |
| Volcano | High Ash Fall | High Ash Fall | High Volcanic | Low Ash Fall | High Ash Fall | No Risk |
| Wildfire | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Low |
| Man-Made Hazard Risk (Nuclear) | ||||||
| Nearby Reactors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Crimes per 10,000 Population - Annual Avg (2001-2017) | ||||||
| Violent Crimes | 25 | 33 | 39 | 25 | 30 | 40 |
| Property Crimes | 601 | 498 | 410 | 374 | 481 | 397 |
| Home Energy Use - Annual Avg (1971-2000) | ||||||
| Heating Degree Days | 4,980 | 5,531 | 4,990 | 5,124 | 5,533 | 4,662 |
| Cooling Degree Days | 68 | 97 | 197 | 40 | 832 | 1,253 |
| blank | Bellingham | Olympia | Vancouver | Port Townsend | Wenatchee | 99-City Avg |
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