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Lake McMurray, WA 02
Washington›Skagit County

Lake McMurrayWA

It is a town of 569 residents in Washington.

Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Lake McMurray

Lake McMurray, WA · Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗

Is Lake McMurray a good place to live?

Lake McMurray’s midsummer high is 73°F, below both the Washington town median (77°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Among 286 Washington towns, just one has a higher home-ownership rate than Lake McMurray. Lake McMurray has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Team of oxen hauling fir log on skid road, Berggen's Logging camp, Lake McMurray, Washington, 1896
Team of oxen hauling fir log on skid road, Berggen's Logging camp, Lake McMurray, Washington, 1896, 1896
Lake McMurray’s story

Lake McMurray in pictures

Census counts: 200 in 2000, 382 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1944 on.

Explore the history →
Small town

569 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Lake McMurray.

Natural hazards

Natural hazards: high risk in Lake McMurray, mostly inland flooding

79risk score of 100

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities.

FEMA risk score
79High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

With 0.0 jobs for every working resident, most of Lake McMurray’s workers commute out

0%work in town

The mean commuting time for Lake McMurray comes to 31 minutes. Half commute less than 24 miles. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 5%. The top destinations are Mount Vernon (18%), Everett (9%) and Seattle (7%).

Lake McMurrayWashington townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work31 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line5%7.9%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Lake McMurray0%
Mount Vernon18%
Everett9%
Seattle7%
Burlington6%
24 mi
median commute distance
2
jobs based in Lake McMurray
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Lake McMurray, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

6″snow a winter

For Lake McMurray, the January low is 35°F.

Typical low → high °F

Winter35–45°
Spring41–57°
Summer52–71°
Fall44–58°
Nov 3
typical first frost
Mar 24
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Lake McMurray stands out in Washington and nationally: a smaller share of its adults binge drink

Only 9 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Lake McMurray. 8.9% of Lake McMurray adults smoke cigarettes. CDC measures, 31 in all: Lake McMurray beats Washington on 14 and trails on 6.

Lake McMurrayWashington townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)27%33%36%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)14%17%17%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)14%17%16%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)8.9%11%14%
31 measures vs. Washington
14 better11 too close to call6 worse
What stands outLake McMurrayWA
Fewer adults facing food insecurity5.5%10.2%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity5.5%9.9%
More adults who have had cancer12.2%7.9%
Skagit Valley Hospital
8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0.1% of Lake McMurray is conserved land

0.1%conserved

1.0 miles of trail. Only 10 of the 273 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Lake McMurray. The concentration of trails in the town is 0.6 miles per square mile.

Lake McMurrayWashington townsU.S. towns
Conserved land0.1%4%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.6 miles per square mile0.80.4
0.1%
conserved · 1 of 1,017 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Lake McMurray

16pages on Lake McMurray
Nearby attractions

Mount Baker and 25 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake McMurray. Close and well known come first.

All 140 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Mount Baker: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY 2.5 · North Cascades National Park: Daniel Hershman, CC BY 2.0 · Angel of the Winds Arena: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Worden: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Casey: mikelehen, CC BY 2.0 · Flying Heritage Collection: nsimpson, CC BY-SA 2.0

Getting set up

Moving to Lake McMurray: who provides what

Lake McMurray is unincorporated, so Skagit County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLeif Erikson Rec AssocNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSkagit CountySkagit County provides services here
SchoolsConway School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereSkagit County AuditorSkagit County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9827498274 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.

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Lake McMurray for work

Where Lake McMurray’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

18% → Mount Vernon Mount Vernon 18% 9% → Everett Everett 9% 7% → Seattle Seattle 7% 6% → Burlington Burlington 6% 6% → Bellingham Bellingham 6% 3% → Stanwood Stanwood 3% Lake McMurray · 0% stay
2jobs based in Lake McMurray
0%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake McMurray

About 4 of every 100 Lake McMurray residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Lake McMurray

CDP in Washington, United States

Lake McMurray is a census-designated place (CDP) in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 382 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. Based on per capita income, Lake McMurray ranks 43rd of 522 ranked areas in the state of Washington.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
1.0 sq mi
Elevation
292 ft
Area code
360

Questions about Lake McMurray

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Lake McMurray, WA a good place to live?

Lake McMurray has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Lake McMurray is in here

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