Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Schools are its strong suit (A+). It also does well on health (A+). The drawback is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $2.2 million, 19.2 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns. That places it 6th of 285 in Washington. On the outdoors, just 37 of Washington’s 397 towns do better. Just over four in five adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Mercer Island, where Washington’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 29%. This Washington town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
Where Mercer Island beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Mercer Island | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.9% | 9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| West Mercer Elementary | K–5 | 431 |
| Lakeridge Elementary School | K–5 | 401 |
| Northwood Elementary School | PK–5 | 398 |
22,699 counted in 2010 and 25,748 in 2020; an estimated 25,422 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 Mercer Island is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 19,047 in 1970, 25,748 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1950 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mercer Island. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
5 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
6 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
7 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 Mercer Island, 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 Mercer Island.
Mercer Island is the healthiest town in Washington, fares better on crime within Washington than nationally and has schools in the top 5% of Washington.
At 19.2 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $2.21M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $2.21M, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
Homes sold in Mercer Island spent a median 11 days on the market. Its median rent stands at $2,502 a month. Sellers in Mercer Island got 98.4% of the asking price, typically.
| Mercer Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,502 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 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 $2.21M.
The Mercer Island School District runs its public schools. Two of the 13 schools are below, and why each made the list. 4 public schools serve Mercer Island, with 1,594 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islander Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 960 | – |
| Mercer Island High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,439 | – |
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: 3.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide.
Among 285 Washington towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Mercer Island. 7.4% of adults have diabetes locally. Also worth knowing: on the CDC’s 31 measures, Mercer Island is ahead of Washington on 27 and behind on 2.
| Mercer Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 4.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mercer Island | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.9% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.4% | 5.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest place to walk is Pioneer Park, 120 acres with 5.9 miles of trail. Across 19 parks and preserves: 18 miles of trail. Mercer Island’s concentration of trails comes in at 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Mercer Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pioneer Park | 5.9 mi | 120 |
| 2. Luther Burbank Park | 2.6 mi | 69 |
| 3. Island Crest Park | 1.3 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
38.6% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
Most people who work leave Mercer Island to do it: just 7% work in town. Among residents locally, 3.8% live below the poverty line. This Washington town had 7,145 jobs in 2023, up 1,160 from 2013. The median commute is under 6 miles.
| Mercer Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 39% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $219,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Mercer Island, the FEMA hazard score is 68 of 100. The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims locally since 2006. FEMA puts just over two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 30% to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Mercer Island after 9 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 77.2°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.7°.
For Mercer Island, the midsummer high is 77°F. Only 7 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher January low than Mercer Island. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Mercer Island | 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
At 13.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Washington’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 17 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Mercer Island is 0.7 per 1,000 residents. The rate of thefts and burglaries locally is 9.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Mercer Island | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
23 within 15 miles of the center of Mercer Island
About 5 of every 100 Mercer Island residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
5% of the town is conserved land, across 19 parks and preserves.
2 places in Mercer Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Mercer Island.
City in Washington, United States
Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on an island of the same name in the southern portion of Lake Washington. Mercer Island is in the Seattle metropolitan area, connected to the mainland on both sides by bridges carrying Interstate 90 and Link light rail, with the city of Seattle to the west and the city of Bellevue to the east. The population was 25,748 at the 2020 census. Mercer Island is one of the 100 richest ZIP codes in the US, according to the IRS figures for adjusted gross income.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mercer Island.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer Island | #6 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Seattle | #128 | B− | D | D− | A | A+ |
| Bellevue | #63 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Medina | #3 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Renton | #193 | C | D | D | C+ | A |
| Beaux Arts Village | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Beaux Arts Village isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mercer Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Mercer Island grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #6 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 public schools Mercer Island children attend outperform 100% of Washington districts on state tests and graduation, an A+ School Grade.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
5 notable people were born here, including Mary Wayte and Quin Snyder.
