Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Burlington earns a D, 268th of 285 graded towns in Washington, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 13 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, 5% of its land is conserved. Burlington’s property crime rate is 43.7 per 1,000 residents, where Washington’s towns sit at 15 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Homes are expensive, about $532K for a typical one and 6 times the Mount Vernon metro’s $89K median household income. Burlington Carnegie Library is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Burlington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Burlington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Burlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,302 in 1910, 9,152 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 6 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burlington, 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 Burlington.
Burlington draws workers from Mount Vernon and beyond, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington.
Property crime runs at 43.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Washington rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 768 to 512 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Burlington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Burlington-Edison School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Burlington Edison High School, with 1,047 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucille Umbarger ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 619 | – |
| Burlington Edison High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,047 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
8,374 jobs are based in Burlington, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Burlington for work: only 13% work in town. 15% of Burlington residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Burlington has added 640 jobs, to 8,374 in 2023.
| Burlington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 40 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Burlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 73.5°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.5°.
Burlington has mild winters and cool summers. Burlington’s July high is 74°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Burlington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Washington it is less healthy than 65% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Burlington beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 68% of adults had a checkup this year in Burlington.
| Burlington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 71% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Burlington | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 31.2% | 34.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.4 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Skagit River Park, at 125 acres. The trail density in Burlington is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Burlington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burlington-Edison Regional Park | 0.6 mi | 31 |
| 2. Skagit River Park | 0.3 mi | 125 |
| 3. Rotary Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
69% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington.
The typical Burlington home is worth about $532,000, about the same as a year ago, 9% below the Washington typical home.
| Burlington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,746 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Burlington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi MountainMount Baker
37 mi National ParkNorth Cascades National Park47K visitors a year
30 mi LandmarkFort Worden
34 mi Stadium & arenaAngel of the Winds Arena
26 mi LandmarkFort Casey
39 mi MuseumFlying Heritage CollectionMount Baker: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY 2.5 · North Cascades National Park: Daniel Hershman, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Worden: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Angel of the Winds Arena: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Casey: mikelehen, CC BY 2.0 · Flying Heritage Collection: nsimpson, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Burlington
About 3 of every 100 Burlington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
City in Washington, United States
Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. Its population was recorded as 9,152 in the 2020 census. Burlington is located approximately halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, Canada. The city is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Burlington.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | #268 | D | D | D | C+ | B |
| Mount Vernon | #260 | D | D | C+ | C− | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Burlington grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #268 of 285 in Washington. It grades B for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety 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.
