Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Kettle Falls’ subject grades are a B for cost of living and civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. On incomes, just 17 of Washington’s 396 towns do worse. Meyers Falls Power Plant Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Kettle Falls has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Kettle Falls beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Kettle Falls is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 297 in 1900, 1,636 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kettle Falls. Close and well known come first.
in town National Recreation AreaLake Roosevelt National Recreation Area1.2M visitors a year32 mi Ski area49° North Mountain Resort84 runs · 1,869 ft verticalLake Roosevelt National Recreation Area: Karyn Christner, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kettle Falls, 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 Kettle Falls.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 1.8%. 59% of Kettle Falls households own their home, against 71% in Washington’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
| Kettle Falls | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $855 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Below: Two of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked. The largest public high school is Columbia Virtual Academy - Kettle Falls, with 419 students. The Kettle Falls School District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle Falls Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 242 | – |
| Kettle Falls High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 230 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
For adults in Kettle Falls, the share who have high blood pressure is 37%. 24% of Kettle Falls adults get no exercise outside work, above the Washington town median (18%) and near the median of U.S. towns (25%). Only 9 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Kettle Falls.
| Kettle Falls | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Kettle Falls | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.5% | 9% |
| More smokers | 16.6% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Kettle Falls than in 68% of U.S. communities. One declared disaster, in 2008, has brought federal aid to Kettle Falls households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Kettle Falls’ typical July afternoon high stands at 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs in Kettle Falls grew by 82 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 493. Most people who work leave Kettle Falls to do it: just 10% work in town. The average commute in the town is 19 minutes. Among 286 Washington towns, just 4 have a lower median household income than Kettle Falls.
| Kettle Falls | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2024. For Kettle Falls, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 10.8 per 1,000 residents. Kettle Falls's reported crime rate is well below Washington's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Kettle Falls | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 19.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Trails run 0.5 miles in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in Kettle Falls: one, of 6 acres.
| Kettle Falls | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Happy Dell Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Kettle Falls; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Kettle Falls residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
City in Washington, United States
Kettle Falls is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States, named for the Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, which was submerged after Grand Coulee Dam was built. The city itself is located on the Colville River immediately upstream from its confluence with the Columbia River. The population was 1,636 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 1,649 in 2024.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
