AhtanumWA
Public schools that outperform most of Washington. A town of 3,777, settled in 1890.
Is Ahtanum a good place to live?
Ahtanum’s lowest grade is for cost of living — the typical home is worth about $338K, 4.8 years of the Yakima metro’s $71K median household income. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Schools are its strong suit: its public schools beat nearly three quarters of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Overall, that makes a C, good for 190th of 285 in Washington. Nationally, it does better than 30% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 7 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. The rest of its grades are middling: B for health and B for incomes.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · USGS PAD-US.
What makes Ahtanum stand out
Where Ahtanum beats most towns.
Ahtanum has grown 12% from 2010 to 2020
3,601 counted in 2010 and 4,046 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Ahtanum grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Ahtanum is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Ahtanum: who provides what
Ahtanum is unincorporated, so Yakima County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ahtanum.
Ahtanum trades workers with Yakima and other neighbors, is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Washington and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Washington.
Ahtanum has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Ahtanum comes to 79 of 100, where Washington’s towns sit at 69 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 2016, Ahtanum has seen 4 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 32% come from inland flooding and 28% from earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Ahtanum beat 74% of Washington districts
The largest public high school is West Valley High School, with 1,494 students. The public schools here belong to the West Valley School District. Of its 9 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahtanum Valley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 381 | – |
| West Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,494 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
In Ahtanum, expect four seasons and hot summers
January nights average 25.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of Washington places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.7°.
Ahtanum’s January low is 26°F. The midsummer high for Ahtanum comes to 89°F, above both the Washington town median (77°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). About 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Ahtanum | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More than half of Ahtanum’s working residents commute to Yakima
Ahtanum has about as many jobs (1,595) as working residents, but only 67 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,158 in 2013 to 1,595.
Half commute less than 6 miles. Jobs in Ahtanum grew by 437 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,595. Only 4% of working residents stay in Ahtanum for work; the rest commute out. In Ahtanum, 2.6% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Ahtanum | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.6% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On CDC estimates, Ahtanum is healthier than 62% of U.S. towns
Within Washington it is less healthy than 71% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
The share of adults in Ahtanum who sleep under 7 hours: 29%. Against the Washington average, Ahtanum comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 12. Among adults locally, 72% had a checkup this year and 37% have obesity.
| Ahtanum | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ahtanum | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.9% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.4% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Ahtanum sell for about $421K
Ahtanum’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $1,575 a month. Nearly three quarters of households own their home here.
| Ahtanum | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,575 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Yakima Electric Railway Museum and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ahtanum. Close and well known come first.
6 mi MuseumYakima Electric Railway Museum
40 mi State parkGinkgo Petrified Forest State Park37 mi Ski areaWhite Pass Ski Area55 runs · 2,035 ft vertical
6 mi TheatreCapitol Theatre
7 mi GardenYakima Area ArboretumPhoto credits
Yakima Electric Railway Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Justinleif~commonswiki assumed (based on co, Public domain · Capitol Theatre: User:Cacophony, CC BY 2.5 · Yakima Area Arboretum: Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Ahtanum
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Ahtanum
About 6 of every 100 Ahtanum residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Ahtanum
CDP in Washington, United States
Ahtanum () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yakima County, Washington. The population was 4,046 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,247 ft
- Area code
- 509
Ahtanum’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Ahtanum.
Ahtanum reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ahtanum with a neighbor →
Questions about Ahtanum
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ahtanum, WA a good place to live?
Ahtanum grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #190 of 285 in Washington. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ahtanum, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $338,000, 43% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.