Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Washington gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $303K for a typical one, or 3.8 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 71st of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 77% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 42 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include John Abkemeyer House and Franz Schwarzer House. 28% of working residents work locally in Washington, where Missouri’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. Washington is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Washington beats most towns.
Franz Schwarzer House
Its 42 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Missouri towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,421 in 1880, 14,500 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Washington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Washington.
Washington pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Union and beyond.
11,565 jobs are based in Washington, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Washington’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Washington grew to 11,565 in 2023, 1,487 more than in 2013. 7.9% of Washington residents live below the poverty line.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $303K.
Its public schools are run by the Washington school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Washington High School, with 1,263 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 505 | B+ |
| Washington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,263 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Since 1982, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Washington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Washington has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Washington is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 25.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 53% of Missouri’s graded towns.
Washington’s violent crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $303K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles.
The typical Washington home is worth about $303,000, up 3.9% in a year, 14% above the Missouri typical home.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $827 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 64% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.8 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bernie E. Hillerman Park, at 73 acres.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miller-Post Nature Reserve | 1.2 mi | 45 |
| 2. Bernie E. Hillerman Park | 0.2 mi | 73 |
| 3. Jerry J. Jasper Lakeview Park | — | 65 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Washington beats the Missouri average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Washington.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Washington | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 13.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Washington has grown 8.6% since 2020, to 15,906 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Missouri.
| Washington | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.1 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 22% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.6 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Washington | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.3% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Washington
About 4 of every 100 Washington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Washington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
42 places in Washington on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Washington.
City in the United States
Washington is a city on the south banks of the Missouri River, 50 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri. It is considered an exurb of the Greater St. Louis area. As of the 2020 census, Washington had a population of 14,500. It is the largest city in Franklin County, Missouri. It is notable for being the "corncob pipe capital of the world," with the Missouri Meerschaum located on the city's riverfront.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Washington grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #71 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Louis, MO-IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
4 notable people were born here, including Jack Wagner and Kim Spalding.
