Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Auburn grades C− overall, 214th among Washington's 285 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 82% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 93% of U.S. towns, with 256 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Auburn is home to Green River College. Auburn's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Auburn has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Auburn Public Library and Oscar Blomeen House.
Where Auburn beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
70,180 counted in 2010 and 87,256 in 2020; an estimated 86,301 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.4%, after 24.3% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Auburn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 740 in 1890, a low of 489 in 1900, 87,256 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Auburn. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
21 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
5 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
21 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburn, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Auburn.
Auburn has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Seattle and other neighbors, but it reports more crime than Kent and its other graded neighbors.
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Kent (D) to Algona (B−). Reported crimes fell from 4,917 to 2,370 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 24.8 per 1,000 residents, Auburn’s property crime rate is above both the Washington town median (15) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). The violent crime rate in Auburn is 3 per 1,000 residents. Auburn reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less.
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.8 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Auburn School District. Two of its 31 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 966 | – |
| Auburn Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,918 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Auburn.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
69% of Auburn adults had a checkup this year, where Washington’s towns sit at 71% and U.S. towns at 79%. 27% of adults have obesity in Auburn. Auburn beats the Washington average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 9.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Auburn | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 13.5% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
24 miles of trail in 43 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Auburn Environmental Park, at 125 acres.
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn Game Farm Park | 3.1 mi | 85 |
| 2. Les Gove Park | 1.1 mi | 22 |
| 3. Game Farm Wilderness Park | 0.8 mi | 57 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 77.2°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.6°.
Auburn has mild winters and pleasant summers. Auburn’s July high is 77°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Auburn has about as many jobs (43,039) as working residents, but only 4,768 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Auburn for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Auburn grew to 43,039 in 2023, 3,846 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Seattle (16%), Kent (10%) and Renton (6%).
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Auburn home is worth about $594,000, down 0.5% in a year, close to the Washington typical home. 61% of Auburn households own their home.
| Auburn | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,786 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Auburn
About 6 of every 100 Auburn residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
5 places in Auburn on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Auburn.
City in Washington, United States
Auburn (Lushootseed: sladə) is a city in King County, Washington, United States (with a small portion crossing into neighboring Pierce County). The population was 87,256 at the 2020 Census, and was estimated at 85,513 in 2024. Auburn is a suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area, and is currently ranked as the 15th most populous city in the state of Washington. The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation lies to the south and southeast.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Auburn.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | #214 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
| Lake Morton-Berrydale | #137 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Kent | #221 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
| Algona | #140 | B− | C+ | B− | B− | B+ |
| Lake Holm | #115 | B− | C− | — | B− | A+ |
| Pacific | #146 | C+ | C− | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Lakeland South | #162 | C+ | D | — | C | A |
| Lake Tapps | #69 | B+ | D | — | A | A− |
Lake Morton-Berrydale, Lake Holm, Lakeland South and Lake Tapps report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Auburn with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Auburn grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #214 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($115,177 across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 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 D.
17 notable people were born here, including Tobi Vail and Blair Rasmussen.
