Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hoquiam grades D− overall, 276th of 285 graded towns in Washington, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $50K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 81% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. Hoquiam’s July high is 68°F, below both Washington’s towns (77°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). No town in Washington scores lower than Hoquiam on hazard risk. Hoquiam has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hoquiam Olympic Stadium and Seventh Street Theater.
Where Hoquiam beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hoquiam's Castle
Census counts: 1,302 in 1890, a peak of 12,766 in 1930, 8,776 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Hoquiam is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 87% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 1%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hoquiam, 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 Hoquiam.
Hoquiam has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Washington (mostly coastal flooding).
The median property tax bill is $1,976, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Hoquiam home is worth about $238,000, down 4.3% in a year, 59% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Hoquiam is $1,086 a month.
| Hoquiam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,086 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Hoquiam School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hoquiam High School, with 410 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoquiam Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 372 | – |
| Hoquiam High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 410 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Washington towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 199 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
Hoquiam’s FEMA risk score is 100 of 100. Since 1981, 199 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hoquiam.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,724 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hoquiam’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
40% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Hoquiam. Only 8 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Hoquiam. 25% of adults get no exercise outside work in Hoquiam.
| Hoquiam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | Hoquiam | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.8% | 9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 16.2% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 3,967 working residents takes 20.2 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Hoquiam for work: only 12% work in town. Among 285 Washington towns, just 4 have a lower median household income than Hoquiam. Since 2013, Hoquiam has lost 205 jobs, to 2,095 in 2023.
| Hoquiam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 4.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Aberdeen weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 67.8°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 37°.
Hoquiam has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. Only 2 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher January low than Hoquiam. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hoquiam's reported crime rate is below Washington's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 18 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Hoquiam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 16.7 per 1,000 residents | 19.4 | 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
2.4 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, at 603 acres.
| Hoquiam | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge | — | 603 |
| 2. Elton Bennett Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Sonshine Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hoquiam
About 5 of every 100 Hoquiam residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Coastal flooding makes up 58% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
12 places in Hoquiam on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Hoquiam.
City in Washington, United States
Hoquiam ( HOH-kwee-əm or HOH-kwim) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting, but Hoquiam has maintained its independent identity. It shares a long rivalry with its more populated neighbor, especially in high school sports. Hoquiam was incorporated on May 21, 1890. Its name comes from a Native American word meaning "hungry for wood", from the great amount of driftwood at the mouth of the Hoquiam River. The population was 8,776 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hoquiam.
Hoquiam reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hoquiam with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hoquiam grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #276 of 285 in Washington. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($64,414 across the Aberdeen, WA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including George H. Hitchings and Howard P. Robertson.
