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
6,893 people live in this town, 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?
Mead’s best grade is for schools: its schools outperform 87% of the state's. At B overall, Mead is better than 63% of U.S. towns and ranks 76th of 285 in Washington. Health is another plus: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 77% of the country. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $513K, 6.6 years of the Spokane metro’s $77K median household income. On the outdoors, just 31 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. Only 19 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on hazard risk. 92% of households live in a home they own here, above both the Washington town median (70%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). This Washington town has 1 place on the National Register.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places.
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.
SchoolsBased on how pupils do in exams and testsAOpen →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingHomes are harder to afford than in most townsC−Open →HealthProvidence Holy Family Hospital 5.5 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & incomeAbout average among the towns comparedC+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.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 0% conserved landDOpen →HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Housing market31 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−
Top of a very low hazard risk in Mead: inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Washington towns; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Mead’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 7 of 100. Expected losses in Mead break down as 59% from inland flooding and 22% from cold waves. One declared disaster, in 2023, has brought federal aid to Mead households.
7risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHeat waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · 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 the reason it’s listed. 2 public schools serve Mead, with 808 students in all.
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
Two figures for adults in Mead: 32% sleep under 7 hours, 18% get no exercise outside work. This Washington town beats the Washington average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. Three quarters of Mead adults had a checkup this year.
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
For working residents in Mead, the share who work locally is 2.9%. This Washington town had 1,267 jobs in 2023, up 127 from 2013. The top destinations are Spokane (42%), Spokane Valley (15%) and Seattle (2%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles.
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
Mead: 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°.
The midsummer high in Mead 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
For Mead, the typical rent is $1,445 a month. The typical home value locally is about $513,000, up 1.1% in a year, 13% below the Washington typical home. On the market here: a median 31 days to sell.
$513KZillow home value
| Mead | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,445 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Mead$513K
Washington$588K
Market temperature
31
days on market
99.8%
sale-to-list price
+1.1%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsD
Mead keeps 0.3% of its land conserved
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. The trail network density for Mead comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. The town has one park or preserve, 7 acres in all.
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−.