Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Othello earns a D, 267th of 285 graded towns in Washington, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $66K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 81% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. 46% of working residents work locally in Othello, above both the Washington town median (4.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 23 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on health. Othello's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Othello beats most towns.
7,364 counted in 2010 and 8,549 in 2020; an estimated 9,237 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.2% since 2020, after 16.1% 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 Othello is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 649 in 1920, a low of 332 in 1940, 8,549 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Othello, 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 Othello.
Othello carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Washington (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Moses Lake and beyond and fares better on crime within Washington than nationally.
5,141 jobs are based in Othello, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.9 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
The average trip to work in Othello is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Othello has added 1,406 jobs, to 5,141 in 2023. 8.2% of workers work from home in Othello.
| Othello | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Othello School District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Othello High School, with 1,338 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 702 | – |
| Othello High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,338 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Othello’s median rent is $882 a month. The typical Othello home is worth about $334,000, down 1.7% in a year, 43% below the Washington typical home. 55% of Othello households own their home.
| Othello | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $882 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 31.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 60% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 253 to 165 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among 285 Washington towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Othello. Othello beats the Washington average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. Among 285 Washington towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Othello.
| Othello | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 71% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 10% | 14% |
| What stands out | Othello | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.1% | 24.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 27.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 91% of Washington towns, with expected losses of about $223 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 25.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of Washington places with climate records; July afternoons average 88°.
Othello has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain.
| Othello | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 88°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.2 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Lions Park, 30 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
| Othello | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Park | 1.4 mi | 30 |
| 2. P.J. Taggares County Park | 0.3 mi | 18 |
| 3. Kiwanis Park | 0.3 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Othello; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Othello residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Where Othello’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Othello.
City in Washington, United States
Othello () is a city in Adams County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,549 at the 2020 census, a 16 percent increase from 2010. It is located in the heart of the Columbia Basin Project, approximately 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Spokane. The city is 25 miles (40 km) south of Interstate 90 in Moses Lake and is connected by State Route 17 and State Route 26.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Othello grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #267 of 285 in Washington. It grades C for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
5 notable people were born here, including Davey Richards and Pee Wee.
