Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,500, settled in 1891. 2.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
Trash & recyclingThe best of Darrington’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 8 of Washington’s 395 towns score higher on cost of living. The median household income is $66K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On hazard risk, just 17 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. Only 10 of Washington’s 198 towns score higher on civic life. Green Mountain Lookout and Suiattle Guard Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Darrington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Darrington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Darrington’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 Darrington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 921 in 1950, 1,462 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Darrington, 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 Darrington.
Its public schools are run by the Darrington School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrington Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 351 | – |
| Darrington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 113 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 94% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Darrington since 2003.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Darrington for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Darrington has added 151 jobs, to 363 in 2023. Darrington’s average trip to work is 24 minutes, against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Darrington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Darrington’s median rent is $879 a month, below both the Washington town median ($1,739 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Darrington home is worth about $417,000, down 1.2% in a year, 29% below the Washington typical home.
| Darrington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $879 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Darrington has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Darrington’s July high is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Darrington's reported crime rate is well below Washington's. The property crime rate in Darrington is 10.2 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes.
| Darrington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 19.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Darrington beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 29% of Darrington adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Darrington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Darrington | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 13.7% | 10.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.7% | 2.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Darrington | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old School Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Depot Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Nels Bruseth Memorial Garden | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Darrington; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Darrington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Town in Washington, United States
Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in a North Cascades mountain valley formed by the Sauk and North Fork Stillaguamish rivers. Darrington is connected to nearby areas by State Route 530, which runs along the two rivers towards the city of Arlington, located 30 miles (48 km) to the west, and Rockport. It had a population of 1,462 at the 2020 census. Non-indigenous settlement in the area began in 1891 at the site of a Skagit campsite between the two rivers, near the traditional home of the Sauk-Suiattle tribe. Prospectors had arrived in the area during the 1880s while looking for gold and other minerals, but were quickly displaced by the logging…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.