Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dayton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $246K, 3.4 years of the county’s $72K median household income. It grades B− overall, 131st of 285 graded towns in Washington. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and the median household income is $71K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. 38% of working residents work locally in Dayton, above both the Washington town median (4.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Columbia County Courthouse and Washington Street Historic District. Among 178 Washington towns, just 1 have a lower typical home value than Dayton.
Where Dayton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Depot-Dayton (formerly Dayton Depot)
Census counts: 996 in 1880, 2,448 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 4 maps from 1937 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Dayton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dayton, 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 Dayton.
Dayton is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has property taxes about half the Washington norm.
The median property tax bill is $1,832, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Dayton’s median rent is $973 a month. The typical Dayton home is worth about $246,000, up 2% in a year, 58% below the Washington typical home.
| Dayton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $973 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Dayton School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 185 | – |
| Dayton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 88 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dayton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Dayton is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Dayton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pietrzycki City Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 2. Caboose Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 3. Flour Mill Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Dayton has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,563 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dayton’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Washington it is less healthy than 69% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Dayton beats the Washington average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 29% of Dayton adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Dayton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Dayton | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 3 of Dayton’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Dayton grew to 882 in 2023, 109 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Walla Walla (16%), Spokane (3%) and Pasco (2%).
| Dayton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Dayton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dayton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
18 places in Dayton on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,448 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dayton grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #131 of 285 in Washington. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
