Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Where it falls short is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $650K, 8.8 years of the Port Townsend area’s $74K median household income. Port Ludlow grades C− overall, better than just over a fifth of U.S. towns, and ranks 220th of 285 in Washington. It lags on schools as well: its public schools trail 73% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Its strongest is walkability: it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Add health to its strengths: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 73% of the country. This Washington town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hans Swanson House and Christian Congregation Church of the town. 50% of residents are 65 or older in the town, against 16% in Washington’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. The town’s trail network density is 1.9 miles per square mile, where Washington’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Port Ludlow is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Port Ludlow beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,968 in 2000, 2,959 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 4 maps from 1937 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
2 places in Port Ludlow on the National Register of Historic Places.
2,603 counted in 2010 and 2,959 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Ordered by what stands out in Port Ludlow.
Port Ludlow has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Washington and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Washington.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Port Ludlow has 258 jobs for its 1,011 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 34.8 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
The average trip to work for Port Ludlow comes to 35 minutes. For most workers, Port Ludlow is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Port Ludlow grew to 258 in 2023, 161 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Seattle (14%), Port Townsend (11%) and Port Hadlock-Irondale (4%).
| Port Ludlow | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Washington it is less healthy than 55% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Just over a fifth of Port Ludlow adults have been diagnosed with depression. No town among the 285 in Washington we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Port Ludlow. The town beats the Washington average on 16 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Among 285 Washington towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Port Ludlow.
| Port Ludlow | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Port Ludlow | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 17.1% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The FEMA hazard score in Port Ludlow is 70 of 100. FEMA puts 53% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 35% to inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Port Townsend weather station, 14 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 274 days, the highest of 631 Washington places with climate records. July afternoons average 73.6°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.2°.
For Port Ludlow, the typical July afternoon high is 74°F. It almost never snows. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Port Ludlow | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 8.8 years of the Port Townsend area’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $650K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $650K, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
In Port Ludlow, 29% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent. Zillow values the typical Port Ludlow home at about $650,000, down 0.8% in a year, 11% above the Washington typical home. Its midpoint rent is $2,213 a month.
| Port Ludlow | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,213 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 29% | 51% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 91% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Ludlow. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw21 mi National ParkOlympic National Park3.6M visitors a year
28 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
27 mi Ancient siteSeattle UndergroundSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Olympic National Park: Wsiegmund, CC BY 2.5 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0
Port Ludlow is unincorporated, so Jefferson 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 Port Ludlow’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
1 within 15 miles of the center of Port Ludlow
About 2 of every 100 Port Ludlow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. It is also the name of the marine inlet on which the community is located. As of the 2020 census, Port Ludlow had a population of 2,959. Originally a logging and sawmill community, its economy declined during the first half of the 20th century. Following the completion of the nearby Hood Canal Bridge in 1960, Port Ludlow became the site of resorts and planned communities, attracting more affluent residents who were retired, buying vacation homes, or needing a more convenient commute to the business centers on the west side of Puget Sound. Based on per capita income, P…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Port Ludlow.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Ludlow | #220 | C− | D− | — | C | B+ |
| Hansville | #116 | B− | C− | — | A− | A− |
Port Ludlow and Hansville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Port Ludlow with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Port Ludlow grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #220 of 285 in Washington. It grades B+ for health and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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