Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lynnwood's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C, 200th of 285 graded towns in Washington. It has 14 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, including 150 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Lynnwood’s property crime rate is 52.5 per 1,000 residents, against 15 in Washington’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Lynnwood is home to Edmonds College. Homes are expensive, about $739K for a typical one and 6.4 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income.
Where Lynnwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Lynnwood is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 4%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,207 in 1960, 38,568 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lynnwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
17 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
12 mi Stadium & arenaHusky Stadium
16 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace 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 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lynnwood, 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 Lynnwood.
Lynnwood draws workers from Seattle and beyond, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington.
Lynnwood’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. Lynndale Park, at 45 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lynndale Park | 1.7 mi | 45 |
| 2. Scriber Lake Park | 0.6 mi | 26 |
| 3. North Lynnwood Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Edmonds School District. Two of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowdale Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 740 | – |
| Meadowdale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,491 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 52.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Washington rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Lynnwood is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Lynnwood reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
27,276 jobs are based in Lynnwood, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Lynnwood for work: only 9% work in town. 14% of Lynnwood residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Lynnwood has added 1,977 jobs, to 27,276 in 2023.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Washington it is less healthy than 52% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its B+, from North Lynnwood (A) to Edmonds (A).
Lynnwood beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 14% of adults binge drink in Lynnwood.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lynnwood | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.3% | 16.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.3% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lynnwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Lynnwood home is worth about $739,000, down 2.9% in a year, 26% above the Washington typical home.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,742 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 74.6°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.9°.
Lynnwood has mild winters and cool summers. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Washington average. Lynnwood has grown 9.2% since 2020, to 42,132 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Lynnwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.5 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.0, men 37.1.
| Lynnwood | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.4% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.3% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
18 within 15 miles of the center of Lynnwood
About 6 of every 100 Lynnwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Where Lynnwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Lynnwood.
City in Washington, United States
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located 16 miles (26 km) north of Seattle and 13 miles (21 km) south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the fourth-largest city in Snohomish County, with a population of 38,568 in the 2020 U.S. census. Often characterized as a suburb or bedroom community, Lynnwood has the highest concentration of retailers in the region and a growing core of businesses, anchored by the Alderwood Mall. The city also has a community college, a convention center, and a major transit center. It is headquarters for several companies, including retailer Z…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lynnwood.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Mountlake Terrace (B) is closest.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynnwood | #200 | C | D | D− | B+ | B+ |
| North Lynnwood | #61 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| Alderwood Manor | #67 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| Edmonds | #98 | B | D | C− | B+ | A |
| Mountlake Terrace | #100 | B | D | C | B+ | A |
| Meadowdale | #26 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
North Lynnwood, Alderwood Manor and Meadowdale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lynnwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lynnwood grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #200 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Tom McGrath and Myles Gaskin.
