Hobart, Washington, ca. 1912, c. 1912
Hobart’s story
123 years in pictures
Census counts: 6,251 in 2000, 6,767 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
- 1903Hobart is settled
HobartWA
This town of 6,552 people was settled in 1903.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Kgrr · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
6,552
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$950K
Census ACS
Household income
$161K
median
Median age
47.1
years
Jobs based here
798
A commuter town
TownGrade
B+
#48 of 285 in WA
Is Hobart a good place to live?
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Its best grade is for health: it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall, Hobart earns a B+: better than 72% of U.S. towns, and 48th of 285 in Washington. Add incomes to its strengths: the median household earns $161K. The trade-off is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $950K, 8.3 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Middle Issaquah Creek Natural Area, at 199 acres. The town’s going rate for rent is $2,726 a month, above both the Washington town median ($1,737 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Hobart stand out
Where Hobart beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Hobart for work
Where Hobart’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
798jobs based in Hobart
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Hobart grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Hobart is from typical.
Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnD−Open →HealthMulticare Covington Medical Center 6 miles awayA+Open →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the strongest comparedAOpen →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listDOpen →SchoolsNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 2.1% of households have no car; 1.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors8% conserved landA−Open →HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 151 attractions →Space Needle and 133 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hobart. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
20 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
20 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
22 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Space Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Hobart: who provides what
Hobart is unincorporated, so King County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCedar River Water & Sewer DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers90% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKing CountyKing County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKing County ElectionsKing County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2021
ZIP codes98038, 98027, 9805198038 97% · 98027 2% · 98051 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hobart.
Hobart has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Washington, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Washington.
HealthA+
Hobart’s grade for health is an A+
Its widest gap with Washington is food insecurity: 6% of its 5,284 adults worry about having enough food, against 10.2% statewide. Against the 2,145 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hobart’s, it is healthier than 80%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Hobart, 31% have high blood pressure. Of 31 CDC measures, Hobart beats the Washington average on 18 and trails it on 2. In Hobart, a quarter of adults have obesity, and 13% get no exercise outside work.
96%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 11% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Washington
18 better11 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Hobart | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6% | 10.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 7.9% |
Multicare Covington Medical Center
6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
90th
percentile among WA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA
Public schools in Hobart beat 90% of Washington districts
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $950K.
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Tahoma School District. 688 students attend Hobart’s public school.
90%of WA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tahoma ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 688 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
The biggest natural risk in Hobart is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
Paid flood insurance claims in Hobart since 1990: 74. FEMA puts 62% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 36% to earthquakes. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2009.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
74
paid flood claims since 1990
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Hobart sends most of its workers out of town
Hobart has 798 jobs for its 2,990 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 36 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Commuting out is the norm here: 1% of working residents work locally. Jobs here fell by 169 from 2013 to 2023, to 798. Its average commute comes in at 36 minutes.
1%work in town
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $161,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 23% | 15% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Hobart1%
Seattle18%
Kent8%
Bellevue8%
Maple Valley6%
17 mi
median commute distance
798
jobs based in Hobart
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA−
Protected land: 7.8% of Hobart
Count the trails in 13 parks and preserves and they come to 12 miles. For Hobart, the trail network density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
#160for trails in WA
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
7.8%
conserved · 940 of 12,016 acres
12 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Bend Natural Area | 1.7 mi | 105 |
| 2. Landsburg Reach Natural Area | 1.4 mi | 100 |
| 3. Danville-Georgetown Open Space | 0.6 mi | 57 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Washington overall
The median household earns $160,536, against $98,141 across Washington, one input to its A for jobs and income.
The age of the median resident in Hobart is 47.1 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). For adults 25 and older here, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 48%.
47.1median age · WA 38.3
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.1 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 30% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
HobartWashingtonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school18%
Some college17%
Associate’s14%
Bachelor’s35%
Graduate13%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Hobart | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.9% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.8% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.5% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 35.3% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.6% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Climate
In Hobart, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 75.8°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.7°.
About 18 inches of snow falls in a winter. The town’s midsummer high is 76°F.
18″snow a winter
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–47°
Spring41–59°
Summer53–74°
Fall44–60°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D−
A home in Hobart sells for about $1.2M at the median
At 8.3 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 89% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,702, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Only 9 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher home-ownership rate than Hobart. On the market in the town: a median 47 days to sell. Sellers in Hobart got 97.2% of the asking price, typically.
$1.2Mmedian sale price
| Hobart | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,726 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 95% | 70% | 73% |
Market temperature
47
days on market
97.2%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hobart
17pages on Hobart
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Hobart
Renton Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Renton9.6 mi$6,308 in-state tuitionGreen River CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Auburn10.5 mi$4,711 in-state tuitionBellevue CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Bellevue13.7 mi$4,436 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Hobart residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Hobart
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Hobart is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,767 at the 2020 census. Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Hobart ranks 31st of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. The Hobart area was first settled by loggers in 1879, and originally known as "Vine Maple Valley". The name was changed when deemed too long by the Post Office. The Hobart Post Office was first opened May 9, 1903 with William Sidebotham as first postmaster. A coal mine also operated in the area as late as 1947.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 19 sq mi
- Elevation
- 568 ft
- ZIP code
- 98025
- Area code
- 425
Hobart’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Hobart.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Maple Valley (A−) is closest.
MirrormontMaple ValleyEast Renton HighlandsHobart
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | #48 | B+ | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Mirrormont | #32 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Maple Valley | #39 | A− | D | B | A | A+ |
| East Renton Highlands | #21 | A− | D | — | A+ | A |
Hobart, Mirrormont and East Renton Highlands report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hobart with a neighbor →
Questions about Hobart
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hobart, WA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hobart grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #48 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Hobart, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $950,000, 62% above the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.