Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,153, settled in 1873. 35% more nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
The best of Napavine’s subject grades is an A for civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 30 of Washington’s 396 towns do worse. 90% of households own their home in Napavine, above both the Washington town median (71%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The biggest park or preserve is Napavine Community Park, at 26 acres. Napavine has 1 place on the National Register. Napavine has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Napavine beats most towns.
Where Napavine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Napavine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 340 in 1920, a low of 181 in 1930, 1,888 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Napavine, 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 Napavine.
The top destinations are Chehalis (13%), Centralia (9%) and Olympia (5%). Just 2% of Napavine’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based in Napavine grew to 560 in 2023, 267 more than in 2013. Its mean commuting time is 30 minutes, against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Napavine | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Napavine Jr Sr High School, with 410 students. Public schools: the Napavine School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napavine ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 411 | – |
| Napavine Jr Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 410 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Typical home values rose 3.8% in the year to September 2026. For Napavine, the midpoint rent is $1,649 a month. On the market here: a median 60 days to sell.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Households in Napavine have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2009. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 69% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Napavine break down as 52% from earthquakes and 43% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A winter brings about 3 inches of snow, with January nights at 33° and July afternoons at 78°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Napavine, 37% sleep under 7 hours. Of 31 CDC measures, Napavine beats the Washington average on 1 and trails it on 10. In Napavine, 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 38% have obesity.
| Napavine | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Napavine | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 13.7% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The rate of thefts and burglaries in Napavine is 7.6 per 1,000 residents. The violent offense rate locally is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Napavine | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Trails total 0.9 miles in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density for Napavine comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Napavine | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Napavine Community Park | 0.3 mi | 26 |
| 2. Mayme Shaddock Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Napavine. Close and well known come first.
38 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year
9 mi AttractionGospodor Monument Park38 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park6 mi MuseumVeterans Memorial Museum
6 mi MuseumBurlington Northern Railroad Depot9 mi City parkGeorge Washington ParkMount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Gospodor Monument Park: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Burlington Northern Railroad Depot: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Napavine
About 5 of every 100 Napavine residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
City in Washington, United States
Napavine is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,888 at the 2020 census. The early community of Napavine began during the 1850s, led by several pioneering families. The town was platted in 1883 and incorporated by 1913. Railroad and timber were the early economic drivers of the community during the late 19th and early 20th century. Several sawmills were constructed, and hotels and stores became numerous. The town's depot was a focal point until it was permanently shuttered in 1968. Into the 21st century, Napavine has seen steady population growth, becoming known as a bedroom community with a small school district. The town has focused on creating neighborh…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
35% more nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
Yes. That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($74,796 across the Centralia, WA 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−.
