Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Bend grades B+ overall, 53rd of 285 graded towns in Washington. It has 10 miles of trail. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 95% of Washington towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $979K, 8.5 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. North Bend’s median household income is $175,000, above both the Washington town median ($98,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). On hazard risk, just 8 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. North Bend is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns.
Where North Bend beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
5,731 counted in 2010 and 7,461 in 2020; an estimated 8,758 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 17.4% since 2020, after 30.2% in the decade before.
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 North Bend is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 299 in 1910, 7,461 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Bend, 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 North Bend.
North Bend has schools in the top 5% of Washington and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Washington.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #7 of 285 in Washington.
The trail density in North Bend is 2.3 miles per square mile. Tollgate Farm, at 244 acres with 2.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 17% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tollgate Farm | 2.4 mi | 244 |
| 2. Meadowbrook Farm | 1.4 mi | 174 |
| 3. Dahlgren Family Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #14 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 $979K.
Its public schools are run by the Snoqualmie Valley School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin R Opstad ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 581 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
At 8.5 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $979K) costs more against local pay than in 90% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,258, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
North Bend’s median rent is $2,091 a month. The typical North Bend home is worth about $979,000, down 1% in a year, 67% above the Washington typical home.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,091 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Washington is tooth loss: 4.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide. Against the 1,527 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Bend’s, it is healthier than 81%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of North Bend adults have obesity. North Bend beats the Washington average on 21 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 12% of North Bend adults get no exercise outside work.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | North Bend | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.5% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.3% | 10.2% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.4% | 16.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1986, 71 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Bend. Only 3 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than North Bend.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29.9% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
Most working residents leave North Bend for work: only 7% work in town. 30% of workers work from home in North Bend. Jobs based in North Bend grew to 2,649 in 2023, 262 more than in 2013.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 15% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 300 to 185 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 132 Washington towns, just 5 have a lower violent crime rate than North Bend. Within Washington, it does better than 51% of towns.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.7 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 75.7°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 33.6°.
North Bend has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| North Bend | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Bend. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
27 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
5 mi WaterfallSnoqualmie Falls
28 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 · Snoqualmie Falls: Meher Anand Kasam, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of North Bend; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 North Bend residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
17% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
4 places in North Bend on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
North Bend is a city in King County, Washington, United States, on the outskirts of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 7,461 at the 2020 census. The city is 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle on Interstate 90 and lies in the foothills of the Cascade Range near Snoqualmie Pass. Since the closure of Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie sawmill, North Bend has become a prosperous bedroom community for Seattle and Bellevue. The city was made famous by David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks, which was partially filmed in North Bend. The community is also home to Nintendo North Bend, the main North American production facility and distribution center for the video game console manufacturer …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with North Bend.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bend | #53 | B+ | D | C | A+ | A+ |
| Snoqualmie | #11 | A | D | B | A+ | A+ |
| Riverpoint | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Riverpoint isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Bend with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Bend grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #53 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health, C for safety and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Washington, it does better than 51% of towns.
2 notable people were born here, including Nikki Stanton and Aladdin Schirmer.
