The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Washington

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 151 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Washington. #1 is Fox Island, WA.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Washington1. Fox Island98th pct2. Friday Harbor98th pct3. Colfax97th pct4. Colville96th pct5. Port Ludlow96th pct6. Big Lake94th pct7. Hansville93rd pct8. Kingston93rd pct9. Sunnyslope92nd pct10. Geneva92nd pct11. Clarkston Heights-Vineland91st pct12. Maplewood90th pct13. Mirrormont90th pct14. Sudden Valley89th pct15. Longbranch89th pct16. High Bridge89th pct17. Sequim87th pct18. Ocean Shores86th pct19. Chelan86th pct20. Goldendale86th pct21. Port Hadlock-Irondale85th pct22. Canterwood85th pct23. Clyde Hill84th pct24. Rosedale83rd pct25. Meadow Glade81st pct
  1. 25Meadow Glade, Washington

    Better for retirees than 81% of Washington towns

    2,758 people · Clark County · median home $650,300 · income $129,427 · Jan low 32°F · 1 in snow

  2. 24Rosedale, Washington

    Better for retirees than 83% of Washington towns

    4,357 people · Pierce County · median home $887,600 · income $158,800 · Jan low 36°F · 0 in snow

  3. 23Clyde Hill, Washington

    Better for retirees than 84% of Washington towns

    3,126 people · King County · median home $2,000,001 · income $250,001 · Jan low 37°F · 4 in snow

  4. 22Canterwood, Washington

    Better for retirees than 85% of Washington towns

    3,572 people · Pierce County · median home $892,400 · income $159,808 · Jan low 36°F · 0 in snow

  5. 21Port Hadlock-Irondale, Washington

    Better for retirees than 85% of Washington towns

    3,983 people · Jefferson County · median home $351,600 · income $83,548 · Jan low 38°F · 1 in snow

  6. 20Goldendale, Washington

    Better for retirees than 86% of Washington towns

    3,453 people · Klickitat County · median home $199,300 · income $39,783 · Jan low 24°F · 27 in snow

  7. 19Chelan, Washington

    Better for retirees than 86% of Washington towns

    4,222 people · Chelan County · median home $518,000 · income $82,637 · Jan low 22°F · 21 in snow

  8. 18Ocean Shores, Washington

    Better for retirees than 86% of Washington towns

    6,715 people · Grays Harbor County · median home $383,500 · income $58,202 · Jan low 38°F · 0 in snow

  9. 17Sequim, Washington

    Better for retirees than 87% of Washington towns

    8,024 people · Clallam County · median home $408,700 · income $59,707 · Jan low 32°F · 1 in snow

  10. 16High Bridge, Washington

    Better for retirees than 89% of Washington towns

    3,140 people · Snohomish County · median home $963,700 · income $167,337 · Jan low 32°F · 3 in snow

  11. 15Longbranch, Washington

    Better for retirees than 89% of Washington towns

    4,141 people · Pierce County · median home $396,000 · income $95,768 · Jan low 36°F · 2 in snow

  12. 14Sudden Valley, Washington

    Better for retirees than 89% of Washington towns

    6,354 people · Whatcom County · median home $489,200 · income $100,930 · Jan low 35°F · 3 in snow

  13. 13Mirrormont, Washington

    Better for retirees than 90% of Washington towns

    3,858 people · King County · median home $973,900 · income $181,842 · Jan low 33°F · 4 in snow

  14. 12Maplewood, Washington

    Better for retirees than 90% of Washington towns

    5,469 people · Pierce County · median home $708,300 · income $135,943 · Jan low 36°F · 0 in snow

  15. 11Clarkston Heights-Vineland, Washington

    Better for retirees than 91% of Washington towns

    7,275 people · Asotin County · median home $385,900 · income $101,286 · Jan low 30°F · 13 in snow

  16. 10Geneva, Washington

    Better for retirees than 92% of Washington towns

    2,652 people · Whatcom County · median home $801,100 · income $142,188 · Jan low 35°F · 3 in snow

  17. 9Sunnyslope, Washington

    Better for retirees than 92% of Washington towns

    4,041 people · Chelan County · median home $714,200 · income $135,769 · Jan low 26°F · 17 in snow

  18. 8Kingston, Washington

    Better for retirees than 93% of Washington towns

    2,515 people · Kitsap County · median home $585,300 · income $90,625 · Jan low 37°F · 3 in snow

  19. 7Hansville, Washington

    Better for retirees than 93% of Washington towns

    3,410 people · Kitsap County · median home $597,000 · income $92,426 · Jan low 37°F · 2 in snow

  20. 6Big Lake, Washington

    Better for retirees than 94% of Washington towns

    2,980 people · Skagit County · median home $666,400 · income $109,286 · Jan low 35°F · 6 in snow

  21. 5Port Ludlow, Washington

    Better for retirees than 96% of Washington towns

    2,959 people · Jefferson County · median home $635,600 · income $96,103 · Jan low 38°F · 2 in snow

  22. 4Colville, Washington

    Better for retirees than 96% of Washington towns

    4,917 people · Stevens County · median home $281,500 · income $56,558 · Jan low 23°F · 43 in snow

  23. 3Colfax, Washington

    Better for retirees than 97% of Washington towns

    2,782 people · Whitman County · median home $245,300 · income $61,914 · Jan low 26°F · 33 in snow

  24. 2Friday Harbor, Washington

    Better for retirees than 98% of Washington towns

    2,613 people · San Juan County · median home $570,400 · income $80,378 · Jan low 37°F · 6 in snow

  25. 1Fox Island, Washington

    Better for retirees than 98% of Washington towns

    3,921 people · Pierce County · median home $1,003,900 · income $172,292 · Jan low 36°F · 0 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Washington towns0255075100$185K$447K$708K$969K$1231KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Washington.

More Washington rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 151 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Washington (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: