Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clarkston earns a D, ranked 256th of 285 in Washington, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $54K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. It reports more crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, including 17 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Clarkston’s average trip to work is 13 minutes, against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 31 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on hazard risk. Clarkston has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office-Clarkston Main and Clarkston Public Library.
Where Clarkston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Clarkston Public LibraryEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Clarkston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,257 in 1910, 7,161 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clarkston, 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 Clarkston.
Clarkston carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Washington (mostly inland flooding), has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Washington and sends many workers across the state line to Moscow.
Reported crimes fell from 345 to 171 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Clarkston is 21.6 per 1,000 residents. Clarkston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. The violent crime rate in Clarkston is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.6 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Clarkston School District. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Charles Francis Adams High School, with 670 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkway ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 330 | – |
| Charles Francis Adams High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 670 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,853, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Clarkston’s median rent is $917 a month. The typical Clarkston home is worth about $343,000, up 2.3% in a year, 42% below the Washington typical home. 55% of Clarkston households own their home.
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $917 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 92.9°, the highest of 639 Washington places with climate records; January nights average 29.5°.
Among 285 Washington towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Clarkston. Clarkston has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 89% of Washington towns, with expected losses of about $225 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Granite Lake Park | 0.8 mi | 9 |
| 2. Beachview Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
| 3. The Greenbelt | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
50% of working residents cross a state line to work, Moscow among the top destinations. The average commute for its 2,940 working residents takes 12.6 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
About one in 5 of Clarkston’s working residents works in town. Only 8 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower median household income than Clarkston. Jobs based in Clarkston grew to 4,193 in 2023, 290 more than in 2013.
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,170 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clarkston’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Clarkston beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Clarkston.
| Clarkston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Clarkston | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.5% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Clarkston
About 4 of every 100 Clarkston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
2 places in Clarkston on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Clarkston.
City in Washington, United States
Clarkston is a city in Asotin County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Lewiston–Clarkston, ID-WA metropolitan area, and is located west of Lewiston, Idaho, across the Snake River. The population was 7,161 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 7,138 in 2024. Clarkston's ZIP Code, 99403, is the highest numerically in the contiguous United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Clarkston.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkston | #256 | D | B− | D | C | C+ |
| West Clarkston-Highland | #249 | D | C+ | — | C | C+ |
West Clarkston-Highland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Clarkston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clarkston grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #256 of 285 in Washington. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Josh Heytvelt and Joel Dahmen.
