Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Goldendale earns a D, 244th of 285 graded towns in Washington, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $40K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: 2% of its land is conserved. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Goldendale, where Washington’s towns sit at 7.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On cost of living, just 27 of Washington’s 395 towns do better. Goldendale has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Goldendale Free Public Library and Charles Newell House.
Where Goldendale beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Goldendale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 545 in 1880, 3,453 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Goldendale, 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 Goldendale.
Goldendale sends many workers across the state line to The Dalles, fares better on crime within Washington than nationally and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
4.1 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Goldendale is 1.4 miles per square mile. Observatory Hill State Park, at 193 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Goldendale | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Observatory Hill State Park | 3.1 mi | 193 |
| 2. Ekone Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Little Klickitat River Disc Golf Course and Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Goldendale School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Goldendale High School, with 322 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldendale Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 302 | – |
| Goldendale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 322 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
73.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington. The median property tax bill is $1,586, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Goldendale’s median rent is $890 a month. The typical Goldendale home is worth about $315,000, about the same as a year ago, 46% below the Washington typical home. 52% of households own their home in Goldendale.
| Goldendale | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $890 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Goldendale since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 31 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 58% of Washington’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Goldendale weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 126 days, shorter than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Goldendale has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 27° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
37% of working residents cross a state line to work, The Dalles among the top destinations.
31% of Goldendale working residents work locally. Jobs based in Goldendale fell to 1,379 in 2023, 136 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are The Dalles (5%), Portland (5%) and Seattle (3%).
| Goldendale | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,323 U.S. towns with household incomes like Goldendale’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Goldendale beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Goldendale | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Goldendale | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.4% | 70.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.6% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Goldendale; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Goldendale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
3 places in Goldendale on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Goldendale.
City in Washington, United States
Goldendale is a city in and the county seat of Klickitat County, Washington, United States, near the Columbia River Gorge. As of the 2020 census, Goldendale had a population of 3,453. It is situated in a primarily agricultural area and is also near Goldendale Observatory State Park. The valley in which Goldendale is located offers views of the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Simcoe Mountains to the north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Goldendale grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #244 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
6 notable people were born here, including Colston Loveland and Alan W. Jones.
