Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Maple Valley grades A− overall, 39th of 285 graded towns in Washington. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns. Its schools outperform 90% of the state's and the median household earns $153K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $764K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Maple Valley’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Gaffney's Lake Wilderness Lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Maple Valley is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Maple Valley beats most towns.
22,684 counted in 2010 and 28,013 in 2020; an estimated 28,482 in 2025.
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 Maple Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,211 in 1990, 28,013 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Maple Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
21 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
21 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
23 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Maple Valley, 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 Maple Valley.
Maple Valley fares better on crime within Washington than nationally, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak.
Maple Valley sits above both Washington’s towns (4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%) on this measure. 16 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Lake Wilderness Park, 83 acres with 3.5 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Wilderness Park | 3.5 mi | 83 |
| 2. Lake Wilderness Arboretum | 1.4 mi | 25 |
| 3. Summit Park | 1 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $764K.
Its public schools are run by the Tahoma School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Tahoma Senior High School, with 2,919 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wilderness ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 923 | – |
| Tahoma Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,919 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
24% of adults have obesity in Maple Valley. Maple Valley beats the Washington average on 21 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 6.4% of adults have diabetes in Maple Valley.
| Maple Valley | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Maple Valley | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.6% | 5.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.4% | 9.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.4% | 16.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 13,780 working residents takes 37 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington. Jobs based here grew from 3,049 in 2013 to 5,687.
Most working residents leave Maple Valley for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in Maple Valley is 37 minutes. Since 2013, Maple Valley has added 2,638 jobs, to 5,687 in 2023.
| Maple Valley | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $153,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 24% | 15% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $764K, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
Maple Valley’s median rent is $2,304 a month. The typical Maple Valley home is worth about $764,000, down 2.4% in a year, 30% above the Washington typical home. 83% of Maple Valley households own their home.
| Maple Valley | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,304 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 75.9°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.5°.
Maple Valley has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. About 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Maple Valley | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 15.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 78% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 433 to 253 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3 within 15 miles of the center of Maple Valley
About 4 of every 100 Maple Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
7.1% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
4 notable people were born in Maple Valley.
City in Washington, United States
Maple Valley is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 28,013 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 28,553 in 2024. The city functions as a commuter town to Seattle for residents, though there is an increasing amount of commercial activity in the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Maple Valley.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Hobart (B+) comes closest.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Valley | #39 | A− | D | B | A | A+ |
| Hobart | #48 | B+ | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Lake Morton-Berrydale | #137 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Covington | #170 | C+ | D | C− | B− | A |
| Kent | #221 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
Hobart and Lake Morton-Berrydale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Maple Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Maple Valley grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #39 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Nikolas Besagno and Taylor Matheny.
