Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Colfax grades C+ overall, 144th among Washington's 285 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 91% of the state's. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 27% of working residents work locally in Colfax, above both the Washington town median (4.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 13 of Washington’s 397 towns do better. Colfax's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Colfax beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard M Jennings Elementary | K–6 | 270 |
| Colfax High School | 7–12 | 263 |
James A. Perkins HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Colfax is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 444 in 1880, 2,782 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colfax, 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 Colfax.
Colfax is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Pullman and other neighbors and has property taxes about half the Washington norm.
Its public schools are run by the Colfax School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonard M Jennings ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 270 | – |
| Colfax High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 263 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,866, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Colfax home is worth about $320,000, up 1.4% in a year, 46% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Colfax is $946 a month.
| Colfax | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $946 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,379 U.S. towns with household incomes like Colfax’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Washington it is less healthy than 56% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Colfax beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Colfax.
| Colfax | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Colfax | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77% | 70.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Colfax has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Colfax’s July high is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Colfax has about as many jobs (1,259) as working residents, but only 320 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.8 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
About one in 4 of Colfax’s working residents works in town. 15% of Colfax residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Colfax has added 124 jobs, to 1,259 in 2023.
| Colfax | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). Colfax has lost 4.5% of its people since 2020, down to 2,667 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Colfax | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 30% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Colfax | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.9% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.5% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
1.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is McDonald Park, at 21 acres.
| Colfax | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McDonald Park | 0.4 mi | 21 |
| 2. Eells Park | — | 18 |
| 3. Schmuck Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Colfax
About 5 of every 100 Colfax residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
4 places in Colfax on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Colfax.
City in Washington, United States
Colfax is a city in and the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,782 at the 2020 census, making Colfax the second largest city in Whitman County behind Pullman. It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River. U.S. Route 195, which forms the town's main street, intersects with State Route 26 at the north end of town; in the past, Colfax also lay at the junction of three major railway lines. It is part of the Pullman–Moscow combined statistical area. It was named after Schuyler Colfax, the Vice President of the United States from 1869 to 1873.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Colfax grades C+ overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #144 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.8 years of the area's median household income ($55,406 across the Pullman, WA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
13 notable people were born here, including John Kitzhaber and Yakima Canutt.
