Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 24,691, settled in 1841. Public schools that outperform most of Washington.
Trash & recyclingFor most people who can afford it, yes. Bainbridge Island grades A overall, ranked 8th of 285 in Washington. Its schools score near the top of Washington on tests and graduation. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $172K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.2 million, 11.2 years of the Bremerton metro’s $104K median household income. 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bainbridge Island, above both the Washington town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Bainbridge Island is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 14 of Washington’s 397 towns do better.
Where Bainbridge Island beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Capt Johnston Blakely Elem Sch | PK–4 | 356 |
| Halilts Elementary School | PK–4 | 353 |
| Ordway Elementary | K–4 | 320 |
4.8% of the town is conserved land, across 45 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Bainbridge Island is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1841, comes before those of 98% of the Washington towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 637 in 1950, 24,825 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1792 and 3 maps from 1937 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bainbridge Island. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
9 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
9 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
10 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bainbridge Island, 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 Bainbridge Island.
Bainbridge Island has schools in the top 5% of Washington, fares better on crime within Washington than nationally and has less tooth loss than most of Washington.
At 11.2 years of the Bremerton metro’s $104K median household income, the typical home (about $1.17M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $1.17M, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The median rent in Bainbridge Island is $2,194 a month. Zillow values the typical Bainbridge Island home at about $1,171,000, about the same as a year ago, 99% above the Washington typical home. 81% of Bainbridge Island households are owner-occupiers.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,194 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 285 Washington towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.17M.
Public schools: the Bainbridge Island School District. Two of its 15 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodward Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 479 | – |
| Bainbridge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,208 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Washington is tooth loss: 3.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide.
Only 5 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Bainbridge Island. The share of adults in Bainbridge Island who say their health is fair or poor: 11%. This Washington town beats the Washington average on 19 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. Among adults locally, 6.1% smoke cigarettes and 12% get no exercise outside work.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Bainbridge Island | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.4% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 3.9% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.7% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #9 of 285 in Washington.
Bainbridge Island’s trail network density stands at 1.3 miles per square mile. 83 miles of trail in 45 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: the biggest place to walk is Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve, 466 acres with 5.6 miles of trail.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve | 5.6 mi | 466 |
| 2. Battle Point Park | 3.1 mi | 85 |
| 3. Fort Ward Park | 2.2 mi | 130 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 10.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 92% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 240 to 167 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Bainbridge Island, the level of property crime is 6.5 per 1,000 residents. Among 132 Washington towns, just 6 have a lower rate of reported violence than Bainbridge Island.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 76.3°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.2°.
About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter. Bainbridge Island’s midsummer high comes in at 76°F.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 9,211 working residents takes 37.3 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington. 40.3% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
The top destinations are Seattle (35%), Bellevue (5%) and Poulsbo (2%). Bainbridge Island had 7,098 jobs in 2023, down 888 from 2013. The average commute for Bainbridge Island comes to 37 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 10 miles away.
| Bainbridge Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 40% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $172,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 4.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1999, 36 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally. Bainbridge Island’s natural-hazard score from FEMA is 64 of 100. Expected losses in Bainbridge Island break down as 56% from earthquakes and 20% from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Bainbridge Island households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18 within 15 miles of the center of Bainbridge Island
About 4 of every 100 Bainbridge Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
4 places in Bainbridge Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Bainbridge Island.
City in Washington, United States
Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 24,825 at the 2020 census, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. The city limits encompass the entire island. The island is separated from the Kitsap Peninsula by Agate Passage, with Bremerton lying to the southwest. Bainbridge Island is a suburb of Seattle, connected to downtown via a Washington State Ferries route. Road access is provided by State Route 305, which uses the Agate Pass Bridge, and continues to Poulsbo and the Suquamish Indian Reservation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bainbridge Island.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bainbridge Island | #8 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Seattle | #128 | B− | D | D− | A | A+ |
| Manchester | #62 | B+ | C | — | B+ | B+ |
Manchester reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Bainbridge Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bainbridge Island grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #8 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health, B+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
8 notable people were born here, including Dove Cameron and Kiel Reijnen.
