Mead Abandoned Building, 2024
Mead’s story
137 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2024 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
- 1889Mead is settled
MeadWA
A town of 6,893, settled in 1889. Public schools that outperform most of Washington.
Photo: SpokaneWilly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
6,893
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$513K
+1.1% in a year
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
42.2
years
Jobs based here
1,267
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#76 of 285 in WA
Is Mead a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mead grades B overall, 76th of 285 graded towns in Washington. Its public schools beat 87% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $513K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Spokane metro’s $77K median household income. Only 19 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on hazard risk. 92% of households own their home in Mead, above both the Washington town median (70%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). On the outdoors, just 31 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse.
What makes Mead stand out
Where Mead beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Mead for work
Where Mead’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,267jobs based in Mead
3%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Mead grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Mead is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →HealthProvidence Holy Family Hospital 5.5 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & incomeC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 2.1% of households have no car; 2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market12 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.2; 29% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 17 attractions →Silverwood Theme Park and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mead. Close and well known come first.
31 mi Theme parkSilverwood Theme Park
30 mi LakeCoeur D'Alene Lake
9 mi Stadium & arenaNumerica Veterans Arena
9 mi Theme parkRiverfront Park15 mi Ski areaMt. Spokane61 runs · 1,974 ft vertical
10 mi GardenManito Park and Botanical GardensSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Silverwood Theme Park: nicanicasather, CC BY 2.0 · Coeur D'Alene Lake: The original uploader was Jamidwyer at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Numerica Veterans Arena: Jdubman at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Riverfront Park: en:User:Sundodger, Public domain · Manito Park and Botanical Gardens: Jdubman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Mead: who provides what
Mead is unincorporated, so Spokane County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerInland Power & Light Company9.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWhitworth Water District 2No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSpokane CountySpokane County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereSpokane County AuditorSpokane County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP codes99021, 9921799021 97% · 99217 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mead.
Mead carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Washington (mostly inland flooding) and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Washington; it also has little public open land.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Mead
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Washington towns; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Mead is 7 of 100.
7risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHeat waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsA
Mead earns an A for schools
Its public schools are run by the Mead School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
87%of WA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Ridge ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 453 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
Mead earns an A− for health
75% of Mead adults had a checkup this year. Mead beats the Washington average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 32% of Mead adults sleep under 7 hours.
77%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Mead | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 10% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Washington
6 better20 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Mead | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.9% |
Providence Holy Family Hospital
5.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
55th
percentile among WA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Mead’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Mead for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Mead grew to 1,267 in 2023, 127 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Spokane (42%), Spokane Valley (15%) and Seattle (2%).
3%work in town
| Mead | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Mead3%
Spokane42%
Spokane Valley15%
Seattle2%
Fairwood2%
9 mi
median commute distance
1,267
jobs based in Mead
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Mead, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
January nights average 24.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 82% of Washington places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.9°.
Mead has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Mead’s July high is 86°F. About 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
45″snow a winter
| Mead | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–37°
Spring36–60°
Summer52–82°
Fall37–59°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C−
Mead earns a C− for cost of living
The typical Mead home is worth about $513,000, up 1.1% in a year, 13% below the Washington typical home.
$513KZillow home value
Typical home value
Mead$513K
Washington$588K
Market temperature
12
days on market
98.9%
sale-to-list price
+1.1%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsD
0.3% of Mead is conserved land
Just 16 of its 4,612 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Mead itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0.3%conserved
| Mead | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
0.3%
conserved · 16 of 4,612 acres
0.7 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Winfield Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mead
17pages on Mead
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Mead
Whitworth University-Adult Degree ProgramsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Spokane3.5 mi$13,560 tuitionWhitworth UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Spokane3.6 mi$52,880 tuitionSpokane Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Spokane7.3 mi$5,461 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Mead residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
About Mead
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Mead is an unincorporated suburb and census-designated place north of Spokane in Spokane County, Washington, United States. Named for Civil War general George Meade, this area is tracked by the United States Census Bureau. As of 2020, the population of Mead was 7,576. In 1900, Mead was the second stop on the Spokane Falls & Northern Railway. The community included the Cushing & Bryant general store, a blacksmith shop, a public school with approximately 60 students, a Methodist Episcopal church, and a Sunday school. At the time the post office was located in the Cushing & Bryant store. Mead is home to the computer game development firm, Cyan Worlds, makers of Myst and Riven. The Kaiser Alumi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,903 ft
- ZIP code
- 99021
- Area code
- 509
Questions about Mead
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mead, WA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mead grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #76 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Mead, WA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.