Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 245 residents, this town was settled in 1890.
Among 286 Washington towns, just one has a higher home-ownership rate than Oso. Oso has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Census counts: 246 in 2000, 172 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Ordered by what stands out in Oso.
On expected storm and flood damage, Oso sits above 88% of U.S. communities. 44% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by avalanches at 27%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Everett (15%), Arlington (11%) and Seattle (9%). Employers in Oso added 27 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 32. The town’s typical household income stands at $140,000, above both Washington’s towns ($98,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). The median commute is under 30 miles.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Summer afternoons peak near 75° in July, and January nights bottom out around 33°; snowfall runs to about 16 inches a winter. Summers in Oso are cool, and winters mild, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Two figures for adults in Oso: 20% report frequent mental distress, 72% had a checkup this year. The share of adults in Oso who have high blood pressure is 30%, near the Washington town median (31%) and below the median of U.S. towns (35%). Among adults locally, 9% have diabetes. Also worth knowing: the town beats the Washington average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Oso | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 9.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Oso | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 70.4% | 66.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.9 miles of trail. The concentration of trails in Oso is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Oso | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Oso is unincorporated, so Snohomish County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Where Oso’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
None within 15 miles of Oso; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Oso residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Census-designated place in Snohomish County, Washington, United States
Oso is a census-designated place (CDP) in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located to the west of Darrington, south of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and approximately 50 air miles (80 km) from Seattle. The population of Oso was 172 at the 2020 census. The area was the site of a large landslide in March 2014 that killed 43 people, the deadliest incident of its kind in U.S. history.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oso has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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