Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Stevens grades A− overall, ranked 25th of 285 in Washington. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 81% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $686K for a typical one and 6 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Lake Stevens’ average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Washington town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Lake Stevens is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Grimm House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Lake Stevens beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest Elementary School | PK–5 | 842 |
| Stevens Creek Elementary | K–5 | 701 |
| Sunnycrest Elementary School | PK–5 | 695 |
28,069 counted in 2010 and 35,630 in 2020; an estimated 42,091 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.2% since 2020, after 26.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Lake Stevens is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,586 in 1950, a low of 1,283 in 1970, 35,630 in 2020. The archive holds 33 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Stevens, 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 Lake Stevens.
Lake Stevens fares better on crime within Washington than nationally, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Against the 5,404 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Stevens’s, it is healthier than 69%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
70% of adults had a checkup this year in Lake Stevens. Lake Stevens beats the Washington average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Lake Stevens.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lake Stevens | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 5.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.4% | 9.5% |
| More adults with depression | 27.5% | 25.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $686K.
Its public schools are run by the Lake Stevens School District. Two of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lake Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 856 | – |
| Lake Stevens Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 2,205 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 19,888 working residents takes 35.2 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington. Jobs based here grew from 4,002 in 2013 to 6,246.
Most working residents leave Lake Stevens for work: only 7% work in town. The median household income in Lake Stevens is $122,000. Jobs based in Lake Stevens grew to 6,246 in 2023, 2,244 more than in 2013.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $122,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
8.1 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cavalero Hill Park, at 33 acres.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cavalero Hill Park | 0.5 mi | 33 |
| 2. Eagle Ridge Park | 0.5 mi | 26 |
| 3. Lundeen Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 90% of Washington’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 41 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
Lake Stevens’ property crime rate is 6.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Monroe weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 74.2°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.3°.
Lake Stevens has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 9% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (21% statewide). Lake Stevens has grown 8.2% since 2020, to 42,091 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of Lake Stevens adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 8.6% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 34.7 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 30% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.6, men 35.0.
| Lake Stevens | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.9% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.6% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.4% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.6% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Lake Stevens home is worth about $686,000, down 1.6% in a year, 17% above the Washington typical home.
| Lake Stevens | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,224 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Stevens.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Stevens. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
31 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
30 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
26 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace 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 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Stevens
About 4 of every 100 Lake Stevens residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Lake Stevens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Washington, United States
Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States, that is named for the lake it surrounds. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Everett and borders the cities of Marysville to the northwest and Snohomish to the south. The city's population was 35,630 at the 2020 census. The lake was named in 1859 for territorial governor Isaac Stevens and was originally home to the Skykomish in the Pilchuck River basin. The first modern settlement on Lake Stevens was founded at the northeastern corner of the lake in 1889. It was later sold to the Rucker Brothers, who opened a sawmill in 1907 that spurred early growth in the area, but closed in 1925 after the second of two major fires.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lake Stevens.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Stevens | #25 | A− | D | B+ | A− | A |
| Machias | — | — | C− | — | A− | A |
| Cavalero | — | — | D | — | A− | A |
| Bunk Foss | #112 | B− | D− | — | A− | A |
| Lake Cassidy | #89 | B | C− | — | B | A− |
Machias and Cavalero have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Machias, Cavalero, Bunk Foss and Lake Cassidy report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Stevens with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Stevens grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #25 of 285 in Washington. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
2 notable people were born here, including Jacob Eason and Kevin Quigley.
