Is Martha Lake a good place to live?
Taken together, its subjects give Martha Lake a B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns. It ranks 82nd of 285 in Washington. Its strongest subject is health (A): CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $785K, 6.8 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. The town’s density of trails is 2.0 miles per square mile, where Washington’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. North Creek County Park, at 74 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. This Washington town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. Martha Lake’s median rent is $2,185 a month, above both the Washington town median ($1,737 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
How Martha Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Martha Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Martha Lake stand out
Where Martha Lake beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Martha Lake | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 5.4% |
Martha Lake has grown 40% from 2010 to 2020
15,473 counted in 2010 and 21,660 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Martha Lake.
Martha Lake has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Seattle and beyond.
6.9% of Martha Lake is conserved land
9.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Martha Lake’s density of trails comes in at 2.0 miles per square mile.
| Martha Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McCollum Pioneer Park | 2.5 mi | 71 |
| 2. North Creek County Park | 1 mi | 74 |
| 3. Martha Lake Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Martha Lake’s schools rank ahead of 58% of Washington districts
The public schools here belong to the Edmonds School District. The largest public high school is Lynnwood High School, with 1,335 students. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynnwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,335 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
For health, Martha Lake earns an A
Martha Lake: 70% of adults had a checkup this year. Among adults here, 26% have high blood pressure.
| Martha Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 9.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Martha Lake | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 5.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 67.1% | 70.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Martha Lake
Martha Lake has 1,798 jobs for its 10,558 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 1,078 in 2013 to 1,798.
Employers in Martha Lake added 720 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,798. In Martha Lake, 26% of workers work remotely from home. The top destinations are Seattle (24%), Everett (11%) and Bellevue (9%). Its middle household income stands at $124,000.
| Martha Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $124,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The climate in Martha Lake brings mild winters and pleasant summers
The Monroe weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 74.1°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.6°.
About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter. In Martha Lake, the July high is 74°F.
| Martha Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Martha Lake has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes
Compared with 57% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Martha Lake is higher. The town has had one paid flood insurance claim since 2020. 56% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 36%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in Martha Lake sells for about $850K at the median
For households in Martha Lake, the share who own their home is 63%. In Martha Lake, the typical sale closed at 99.2% of the list price. A home in Martha Lake typically sold within 28 days of listing.
| Martha Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,185 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Martha Lake
Space Needle and 128 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Martha Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
18 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
17 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
14 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumPhoto 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 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Moving to Martha Lake: who provides what
Martha Lake is unincorporated, so Snohomish County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
99% of working residents leave Martha Lake for work
Where Martha Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
13 within 15 miles of the center of Martha Lake
About 5 of every 100 Martha Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Martha Lake
CDP in Washington, United States
Martha Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 21,129 at the 2020 census. It lies west of Mill Creek and northeast of Lynnwood, near the lake of the same name. Based on per capita income, Martha Lake ranks 95th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 469 ft
- Area code
- 425
Martha Lake’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Martha Lake.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Lake | #82 | B | D | — | B | A |
| Mill Creek | #24 | A− | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Larch Way | #30 | A− | D | — | B+ | A |
| Bothell West | #13 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Mill Creek East | #10 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Lake Stickney | #95 | B | D | — | B− | A− |
Martha Lake, Mill Creek, Larch Way, Bothell West, Mill Creek East and Lake Stickney report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Martha Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Martha Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Martha Lake, WA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Martha Lake grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #82 of 285 in Washington. It grades A for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Martha Lake, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $785,000, 34% above the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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