Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Medina is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 3rd among Washington's 285 graded towns. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, the median household earns $250K, and its schools outperform 96% of the state's. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $4.4 million, 38.5 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. 88% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Medina, against 30% in Washington’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Medina is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. No town among the 178 in Washington we compare has a higher typical home value than Medina.
Where Medina beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Medina | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.2% | 9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Medina Elementary School | PK–5 | 591 |
5.5% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Medina is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,285 in 1960, 2,915 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1895 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Medina. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
5 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
in town LakeLake Washington
5 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace 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 · Lake Washington: Maltesen at da.wikipedia, Public domain · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Medina, 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 Medina.
Medina is the healthiest town in Washington, has schools in the top 5% of Washington and fares better on crime within Washington than nationally.
At 38.5 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $4.44M) costs more against local pay than in any other Washington town; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $4.44M, is 10% below its June 2022 peak.
The median rent in Medina is $3,501 a month. The typical Medina home is worth about $4,438,000, down 1.6% in a year, 8 times the Washington typical home. 80% of households own their home in Medina.
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #10 of the 285 Washington towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $4.44M.
Its public schools are run by the Bellevue School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medina Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 591 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 285 Washington towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Washington is tooth loss: 2.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide.
19% of Medina adults have obesity. Only 5 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Medina. 7.7% of Medina adults have diabetes.
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 4.5% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Medina | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.2% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 1.9% | 5.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
34.2% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
Most working residents leave Medina for work: only 2% work in town. Medina’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Medina grew to 666 in 2023, 413 more than in 2013.
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 10.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 91% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 42 to 18 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Only 7 of the 132 Washington towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Medina.
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.1°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.8°.
Medina has mild winters and pleasant summers. Among 285 Washington towns, just 5 have a higher January low than Medina. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 37°F | 35°F | 22°F |
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Medina | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Medina Park | 1 mi | 19 |
| 2. Fairweather Nature Preserve | 0.6 mi | 13 |
| 3. 520 Bridge View Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Medina since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
23 within 15 miles of the center of Medina
About 5 of every 100 Medina residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Where Medina’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Medina on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
Medina ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington in greater Seattle, United States. The mostly residential city is on a peninsula in Lake Washington, on the opposite shore from Seattle, bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point to the east and water on all other sides. The city's population was 2,915 at the 2020 census. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, along with a number of billionaires and executives for tech companies, have homes in Medina.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Medina.
At #3 in WA, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Clyde Hill (A) comes closest.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medina | #3 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Bellevue | #63 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Seattle | #128 | B− | D | D− | A | A+ |
| Hunts Point | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mercer Island | #6 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Clyde Hill | #4 | A | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
Hunts Point isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Medina with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Medina grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #3 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−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $4,438,000, 655% above the Washington typical home and down 1.6% in a year. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
