Heronswood Totem, 2021
Kingston’s story
136 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,611 in 2000, 2,515 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2021 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
- 1890Kingston is settled
KingstonWA
Today 2,496 people live in this town, first settled in 1890.
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,496
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$659K
+0.4% in a year
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
43.6
years
Jobs based here
496
A commuter town
Is Kingston a good place to live?
Kingston’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and health and an A− for the outdoors. Kingston’s peak summer temperature is 75°F, below both Washington’s towns (77°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). The biggest park or preserve is Nike Site/Saltmarsh, at 28 acres. Kingston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Kingston stand out
Where Kingston beats most towns.
A growing town
Kingston has grown 20% from 2010 to 2020
2,099 counted in 2010 and 2,515 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Kingston grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Kingston is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.3 of 20; 4.5% of households have no carAOpen →HealthSwedish Edmonds Hospital 7.9 miles awayAOpen →SchoolsSchools do better than mostA−Open →Cost of livingWeaker than most of the towns comparedCOpen →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listC+Open →Jobs & income$91K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 3% conserved landA−Open →HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 156 attractions →Space Needle and 137 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kingston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
16 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
16 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
Big draw29 mi National ParkOlympic National Park3.6M visitors a yearSources: 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 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olympic National Park: Wsiegmund, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Kingston: who provides what
Kingston is unincorporated, so Kitsap County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNorth Peninsula water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKitsap CountyKitsap 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 hereKitsap County AuditorKitsap County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP code9834698346 100%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 Kingston.
HealthA
Residents of Kingston are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns
Kingston: 16% of adults binge drink. Against the Washington average, Kingston comes out ahead on 11 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 3. Among adults here, 15% report frequent mental distress and 75% had a checkup this year.
87%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Kingston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Washington
11 better17 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Kingston | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.5% | 9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 7.9% |
Swedish Edmonds Hospital
7.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Kingston’s schools beat 76% of Washington districts
The North Kitsap School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Kingston High School, with 602 students. Of its 5 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
76%of WA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Gordon ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 361 | – |
| Kingston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 602 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Kingston has 0.5 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles. In Kingston, the typical journey to work is 31 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Kingston dropped by 30, to 496. The top destinations are Seattle (20%), Poulsbo (8%) and Bainbridge Island (5%).
4%work in town
| Kingston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Kingston4%
Seattle20%
Poulsbo8%
Bainbridge Island5%
Bremerton4%
14 mi
median commute distance
496
jobs based in Kingston
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
A older population than Washington as a whole
People 65 and older are just over a quarter of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). Kingston’s midpoint age comes in at 43.6 years. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
43.6median age · WA 38.3
| Kingston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.6 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
KingstonWashingtonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school8%
Some college29%
Associate’s22%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate12%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 43% and 64% women
The Census survey reached too few of Kingston’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.7 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Kingston | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.5% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 21.2% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 8.2% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.7% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 22% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.2% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter36–47°
Spring42–59°
Summer53–74°
Fall45–60°
Nov 23
typical first frost
Mar 8
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C
Zillow puts the typical Kingston home at about $659K
Homes sold in Kingston spent a median 15 days on the market. 52% of households live in a home they own locally. The rent at the middle of the market here is $1,357 a month.
$659KZillow home value
| Kingston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,357 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Kingston$659K
Washington$588K
Market temperature
15
days on market
99.6%
sale-to-list price
+0.4%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Kingston: earthquakes
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Kingston break down as 68% from earthquakes and 18% from inland flooding. Also worth knowing: households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2007.
56risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingTsunamis
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsA−
Conserved land covers 2.8% of Kingston
Trails run 2.3 miles in 7 parks and preserves. For Kingston, the density of trails is 0.9 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 7, covering 57 acres.
2.8%conserved
| Kingston | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
2.8%
conserved · 45 of 1,572 acres
2.3 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A Quiet Place Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 2. Mike Wallace Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 3. Nike Site/Saltmarsh | 0.1 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kingston
17pages on Kingston
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
14 within 15 miles of the center of Kingston
Shoreline Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Shoreline7.6 mi$5,115 in-state tuitionEdmonds CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lynnwood8.4 mi$4,810 in-state tuitionNorth Seattle CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Seattle10.4 mi$5,238 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Kingston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Kingston for work
Where Kingston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
496jobs based in Kingston
4%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Kingston
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Kingston (formerly Appletree Cove) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,515 at the 2020 census. Kingston is along the shores of Appletree Cove and Puget Sound, and is home to a major Washington State Ferry terminal linking it to Edmonds.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 69 ft
- ZIP code
- 98346
- Area code
- 360
Questions about Kingston
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kingston, WA expensive?
That is 6.3 years of the area's median household income ($104,158 across the Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA metro 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.