These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Washington

Top 10 Most Successful Cities in Washington for 2026

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Success can be defined in many ways. Is it the wealth in your bank account? The satisfaction of delivering a compelling presentation? Or perhaps it’s something more profoundâ€”an elusive feeling that is subjective and personal?

At Zippia, we appreciate measurable metrics. With the power of data analysis, we’ve identified the top 10 most successful cities in Washington for 2026. Here they are:

Disagree with our list? Read on to discover how we arrived at these rankings.

For more insights on Washington, check out:

How We Determined the Most Successful Cities in Washington

For many, success is primarily about financial wealth. However, we believe that success encompasses more than just money. To create our rankings, we considered various metrics from the most recent American Community Survey data, focusing on income, poverty levels, and unemployment rates.

1. Sammamish

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 50,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $144,775
Poverty Level: 2.2%
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

2. Snoqualmie

Population: 12,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $130,060
Poverty Level: 1.5%
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%

3. Mercer Island

Population: 25,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $125,651
Poverty Level: 3.5%
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%

4. Newcastle

Population: 11,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $110,456
Poverty Level: 6.0%
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%

5. Woodinville

Population: 12,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $97,604
Poverty Level: 5.2%
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

6. Mill Creek

Population: 19,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $88,770
Poverty Level: 4.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%

7. DuPont

Population: 9,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $80,754
Poverty Level: 4.2%
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%

8. Issaquah

Population: 33,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $88,770
Poverty Level: 4.6%
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%

9. Mukilteo

Population: 21,000 (approx.)
Median Income: $89,942
Poverty Level: 4.5%
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

10. Normandy Park

Population: 6,500 (approx.)
Median Income: $90,446
Poverty Level: 2.8%
Unemployment Rate: 7.2%

Measuring Success

If you’re questioning the validity of our rankings, you’re not alone. Success is a complex and multifaceted concept, but our approach provides a snapshot based on vital metrics. Congratulations to Sammamish and the other top cities. For those who didn’t make the list, there’s always next year!

Detailed List of the Most Successful Cities in Washington

Rank	City	Median Income	Poverty Rate	Unemployment Rate
1	Sammamish	$144,775	2.2%	4.4%
2	Snoqualmie	$130,060	1.5%	4.7%
3	Mercer Island	$125,651	3.5%	4.5%
4	Newcastle	$110,456	6.0%	5.0%
5	Woodinville	$97,604	5.2%	5.3%
6	Mill Creek	$88,770	4.8%	4.8%
7	DuPont	$80,754	4.2%	5.0%
8	Issaquah	$88,770	4.6%	6.0%
9	Mukilteo	$89,942	4.5%	6.1%
10	Normandy Park	$90,446	2.8%	7.2%
11	Redmond	$99,586	7.1%	5.8%
12	Camas	$84,643	5.3%	7.0%
13	Bainbridge Island	$95,976	6.3%	7.2%
14	Maple Valley	$97,809	4.2%	8.5%
15	Brier	$98,125	5.9%	7.7%
16	Kirkland	$90,611	6.8%	7.0%
17	Ridgefield	$91,205	5.4%	8.0%
18	Covington	$87,315	6.8%	7.0%
19	Bellevue	$92,524	8.1%	7.1%
20	Lake Forest Park	$90,495	8.3%	7.3%
21	Edmonds	$72,926	8.6%	6.3%
22	Kenmore	$88,472	9.1%	7.1%
23	Edgewood	$78,328	6.1%	8.2%
24	West Richland	$81,778	7.4%	8.0%
25	Richland	$69,372	8.8%	6.5%
26	Bothell	$75,643	7.6%	7.8%
27	Duvall	$105,729	7.8%	9.2%
28	Milton	$67,069	6.3%	7.9%
29	Bonney Lake	$79,725	8.2%	8.0%
30	Poulsbo	$57,296	7.5%	5.3%
31	Liberty Lake	$71,898	3.5%	9.9%
32	North Bend	$73,571	12.9%	5.7%
33	Lynden	$59,021	7.4%	6.2%
34	Tumwater	$62,258	10.6%	6.3%
35	Lake Stevens	$70,345	8.6%	8.5%
36	Mountlake Terrace	$61,477	8.6%	7.5%
37	Fircrest	$60,544	6.8%	8.6%
38	Steilacoom	$57,434	10.1%	6.1%
39	Seattle	$67,365	14.0%	6.5%
40	Monroe	$66,649	10.1%	8.3%
41	Anacortes	$59,369	10.6%	6.8%
42	Renton	$65,223	11.0%	7.5%
43	Orting	$72,810	10.3%	9.3%
44	Selah	$50,333	10.8%	5.0%
45	Shoreline	$64,096	10.4%	8.7%
46	Enumclaw	$56,764	11.9%	7.4%
47	Marysville	$64,328	9.3%	10.3%
48	Snohomish	$52,250	12.8%	6.7%
49	Lacey	$59,885	9.7%	9.4%
50	Stanwood	$53,600	12.1%	7.6%
51	Puyallup	$63,009	9.6%	10.4%
52	Ephrata	$54,563	16.3%	6.7%
53	Kennewick	$51,739	15.9%	6.5%
54	Battle Ground	$57,347	11.0%	8.7%
55	Sumner	$52,275	10.7%	8.8%
56	College Place	$43,133	17.4%	5.5%
57	Arlington	$61,131	11.8%	10.4%
58	Wenatchee	$47,168	12.5%	7.9%
59	Fife	$57,500	12.7%	9.1%
60	Pasco	$54,700	16.6%	7.7%
61	Connell	$51,094	17.1%	7.1%
62	Lynnwood	$50,562	14.3%	8.1%
63	Des Moines	$58,308	14.8%	8.9%
64	Gig Harbor	$64,087	12.0%	11.2%
65	Federal Way	$54,186	14.4%	8.7%
66	University Place	$59,164	10.1%	12.5%
67	Washougal	$60,353	10.7%	12.1%
68	Auburn	$57,635	14.9%	9.5%
69	Kent	$57,490	15.1%	9.4%
70	Burien	$52,140	17.4%	8.5%
71	Oak Harbor	$48,362	11.9%	9.8%
72	Olympia	$52,834	16.6%	9.0%
73	East Wenatchee	$52,989	13.5%	10.4%
74	Ferndale	$51,944	14.0%	10.0%
75	Spokane Valley	$48,274	14.1%	9.6%
76	Prosser	$53,736	12.4%	11.7%
77	Port Townsend	$43,050	13.5%	10.4%
78	Woodland	$65,065	20.1%	14.1%
79	Moses Lake	$47,914	13.7%	11.3%
80	Pacific	$55,907	14.2%	13.5%
81	Port Orchard	$55,521	15.3%	12.0%
82	Vancouver	$50,379	14.5%	11.3%
83	Mount Vernon	$44,404	19.5%	9.4%
84	Burlington	$48,399	16.6%	10.6%
85	Everett	$48,562	16.1%	10.9%
86	Walla Walla	$42,348	20.8%	8.8%
87	Tacoma	$51,269	16.4%	11.3%
88	Spokane	$42,814	19.7%	9.5%
89	SeaTac	$45,573	19.6%	10.1%
90	Ocean Shores	$43,496	10.7%	17.3%
91	Yelm	$49,658	18.8%	11.8%
92	Bellingham	$42,440	26.8%	9.6%
93	Union Gap	$34,624	30.8%	9.0%
94	Tukwila	$44,820	20.7%	11.1%
95	Sedro-Woolley	$44,014	18.1%	11.8%
96	Othello	$42,414	23.8%	10.4%
97	Bremerton	$43,527	21.1%	11.2%
98	Pullman	$24,487	51.7%	9.1%
99	Chehalis	$34,967	16.8%	11.4%
100	Yakima	$40,189	20.7%	11.2%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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