Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,241, settled in 1933.
Coulee Dam’s weakest subject grade is a D− for hazard risk. Coulee Dam’s average trip to work is 16 minutes, below both Washington’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 16 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on hazard risk. Coulee Dam's schools rank behind 85% of the state's. Coulee Dam’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Grand Coulee Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Coulee Dam has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Coulee Dam is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,344 in 1960, 1,211 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Coulee Dam. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town DamGrand Coulee Dam
31 mi WaterfallDry Falls
29 mi Park & preserveGrand Coulee
in town National Recreation AreaLake Roosevelt National Recreation Area1.2M visitors a yearGrand Coulee Dam: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Public domain · Dry Falls: Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grand Coulee: en:User:Duk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area: Karyn Christner, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Coulee Dam, 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 Coulee Dam.
The typical Coulee Dam home is worth about $245,000, up 5.2% in a year, 58% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Coulee Dam is $1,033 a month.
| Coulee Dam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,033 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School, with 308 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Roosevelt ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 354 | – |
| Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 308 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Coulee Dam for work: only 11% work in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Coulee Dam. Since 2013, Coulee Dam has lost 88 jobs, to 336 in 2023.
| Coulee Dam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
17% of Coulee Dam adults report frequent physical distress. Coulee Dam beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 24% of Coulee Dam adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Coulee Dam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Coulee Dam | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.6% | 70.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Coulee Dam has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Coulee Dam’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 133 Washington towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Coulee Dam.
| Coulee Dam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.6 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Among 273 Washington towns, just 10 have a lower share of conserved land than Coulee Dam.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cole Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Douglas Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Coulee Dam; the nearest are
College town 16 of every 100 Coulee Dam residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
1,098 counted in 2010 and 1,211 in 2020; an estimated 1,241 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Town in Washington, United States
Coulee Dam is a town in Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties in the state of Washington. The Douglas County portion of Coulee Dam is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,211 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($63,207 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
