Rail banking in, 2007
Naches’s story
118 years in pictures
Census counts: 423 in 1930, 1,084 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1899 on.
- 1908Naches is settled
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,083
2025 Census estimate · +0.5% since 2020
Typical home
$319K
+1.5% in a year
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
32.2
years
Jobs based here
977
A job hub
Is Naches a good place to live?
Naches’ best subject grades are an A for the outdoors and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. Among 286 Washington towns, just 10 have a lower median household income than Naches. The biggest park or preserve is Cleman's View Sports Park, at 21 acres. Naches has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Naches stand out
Where Naches beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here977
Residents who work424
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 95% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Naches5.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WA town4
Civic lifeA−
40% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Washington town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Small town
1,083 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Naches grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Naches is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →Jobs & income$54K median household incomeC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBOpen →HealthKittitas Valley Community Hospital 19.5 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 8% conserved landAOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life5.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.2; 27% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Naches: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Naches, and how to reach them.
PowerPacific Power14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Naches water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpYakima Waste Systems, Inc.Trash haulerTown site
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 hereYakima County AuditorYakima County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code9893798937 100%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 Naches.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 2.3 jobs for every working resident, Naches draws in 954 commuters
Most working residents leave Naches for work: only 5% work in town. At 20 minutes, Naches’ average trip to work is against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Naches.
5%work in town
| Naches | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Naches5%
Yakima36%
Union Gap5%
Gleed4%
Selah3%
13 mi
median commute distance
977
jobs based in Naches
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 25% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Naches’ public schools outperform 58% of Washington districts
Its public schools are run by the Naches Valley School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Naches Valley High School, with 399 students.
58%of WA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naches Valley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 482 | – |
| Naches Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 399 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade C−
The typical home in Naches is valued at about $319K
The typical Naches home is worth about $319,000, up 1.5% in a year, 46% below the Washington typical home. 55% of Naches households own their home, where Washington’s towns sit at 71% and U.S. towns at 73%. The median rent in Naches is $1,458 a month.
$319KZillow home value
| Naches | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,458 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Naches$319K
Washington$588K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Naches faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Naches.
78risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesWildfire
2
paid flood claims since 1996
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Naches
Naches has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Naches’ July high is 87°F.
20″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–40°
Spring36–62°
Summer52–84°
Fall36–62°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA
Naches has set aside 7.5% of its land for conservation
0.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
7.5%conserved
| Naches | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
7.5%
conserved · 42 of 554 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cleman's View Sports Park | 0.2 mi | 21 |
| 2. Applewood Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB
Naches is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Naches beats the Washington average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 66% of Naches adults had a checkup this year.
57%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Naches | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 71% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
31 measures vs. Washington
2 better16 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Naches | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21.3% | 24.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.1% | 8.4% |
Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
19.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Yakima Electric Railway Museum and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Naches. Close and well known come first.
13 mi MuseumYakima Electric Railway Museum
36 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year
36 mi State parkGinkgo Petrified Forest State Park34 mi Ski areaWhite Pass Ski Area55 runs · 2,035 ft vertical
12 mi TheatreCapitol Theatre
14 mi GardenYakima Area ArboretumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Yakima Electric Railway Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Justinleif~commonswiki assumed (based on co, Public domain · Capitol Theatre: User:Cacophony, CC BY 2.5 · Yakima Area Arboretum: Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Naches
19pages on Naches
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Naches
Yakima Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Yakima12.4 mi$5,312 in-state tuitionPerry Technical InstituteCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Yakima12.9 miPacific Northwest University of Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Yakima14 mi
About 5 of every 100 Naches residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
A job hub
Every workday, about 954 people come to Naches for work
Where Naches’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
977jobs based in Naches
5%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Naches
Town in Washington, United States
Naches is a town in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,084 at the 2020 census. The town is located along the Naches River west of Yakima near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,473 ft
- ZIP code
- 98937
- Area code
- 509
Questions about Naches
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Naches, WA expensive?
Yes. That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($70,656 across the Yakima, WA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.